The Other Prophecy Child
by Ascensions
Summary: Hirius was alone for most of his life. The only person he had to rely on after his mother died was his sister, Emily. However, when she disappears, he will have to travel across the country to search for her. But it isn't an adventure that he can go on alone. This is the story of Hirius, a child of the Big Three whose name was erased from history.
1. Chapter 1

**-Endings and Beginnings-**

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******Note: the main character's name is kind of hard to pernounce so here's some help. Hirius: _Hir _sounds like here, _ius_ sounds like prius**

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I'm okay with being alone. It's not like I've ever had anybody that I could depend on. It's not like anyone has ever needed me, so I don't need anyone else, as long as I have myself. Besides, I've been alone my entire life. They don't know what it's like. They wouldn't know what to do if they were alone, they wouldn't be able to survive. As for me, I haven't had anyone since my sister disappeared. So, yeah, I guess that being alone is fine.

I was only three when it started. I was only three when my mom died. They all keep lying to me. They all say that she died giving birth to Emily. They don't think that I was old enough to remember, but I remember everything. This creature, I don't know what it was, some horrible beast, attacked us. It was after me and my sister, but my mom stopped it. She threw herself between us and that thing to save us. That thing, whatever it was, it killed my mom, and left me and Emily alone.

That was the first weird experience in my life, the first of many to come. That one was the worst though. They only got weirder after that. Creatures so strange that I couldn't begin to describe them coming to help me, animals talking to me, my caretakers turning into half-snake people. These were the events that made me realize that I wasn't like everyone else. These were the things that made me realize that I wasn't a normal human.

We were sent to an orphanage after our mom died. Some old place in the middle of New York City, I don't remember where exactly. It was the worst place for us to spend our childhood. We were treated like trash there, like we weren't even human. The other kids picked on us all the time, I can't even tell you how many fights I got into there. The caretakers weren't any better. Everything bad that happened at that place we were blamed for, most of which we had nothing to do with. It was like those people could tell that we were different, or maybe they could smell the difference.

When did it start, the weirdness I mean. It was probably when I was nine, which would've made Emily seven. It was on the afternoon of a sunny day. Would I say that it was an enjoyable one? Not really. Then again, none of our days spent at that place were ever enjoyable. Anyway, we were out in the yard for what they told us was recess. Emily and I were away from the others the way we usually were, sitting at one of the picnic tables on the far side of the yard.

"Hey Hirius," One of the older boys said to me when he approached the table.

Tomas Elfnin, the worst of the worst when it came to bullies. He spared no expense; he used whatever he could to pick on us, even digging into the darkest pieces of our past whenever it benefited him. This was the person that had caused me so much grief over the years. I knew what he wanted from us, but I wasn't going to let him bother me. Instead, I just ignored him.

"I'm talking to you," Tomas said.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me off of the bench. I was thrown onto the ground right into a puddle of mud from the storm the night before. I stood up and tried to clean myself off, but it was no use. Tomas just laughed at me with that usual annoying laugh of his, the fat idiot. I tried to ignore him, but he just made it so difficult. Of course, the caretakers, who should have come to help me, were acting like they didn't see anything.

"Why can't you just leave us alone," Emily said. She wasn't much of a talker; I was the only one she ever talked to actually, so it must have caught Tomas off guard when he heard her. He turned away from me and walked over to Emily. "We've never done anything to you, so just leave us alone," she told him.

"Yeah, and what are you gonna do if I don't," Tomas sneered, "You gonna kill me like you did your mom?"

Tears began forming on the edge of Emily's eyes. Why did he always have to go there? Why did he always have to bring up our mom? I hated it when he did that. Not just because our mom was dead, but also because of Emily. She actually believed all of those lies about how mom died in child birth. She was actually convinced that it was her fault. I had to do something about Tomas before he we any further.

"Aww, what's the matter," Tomas said mockingly, "Is baby gonna cry?"

I lost control. I leaped forward and wrapped my arms around Tomas' neck. He let out a surprised grunt. He started to struggle and tried to grab at me, but I tightened my grip on him making sure that he wouldn't escape. His knees started to give out and his struggling got weaker. I thought that I had him for once, but he was too strong for me. He managed to get a hold of me and I was lifted into the air and thrown back into the same mud puddle.

I sat up and rubbed my head. The caretakers, who had moved to help Tomas had stopped and were once again feigning ignorance. Of course they weren't going to help now that Tomas had control of the fight. He came after me again, but I stepped away from his blind charge. His face was bright red. I don't think that I had ever seen him so angry. Emily was in tears by this point.

My anger was flaring. I knew that there was no way that I could beat Tomas, but I couldn't just stand by and let him get away with everything. I couldn't stand the fact that he did whatever he wanted without fear of the consequences. He had to be punished somehow. If only I could do it, but all I could do was avoid him.

I felt my face heating up as I side-stepped another one of Tomas' blind charges. I had to do something, but what could I do. I was just a wimpy nine-year old. That was when things got weird. I felt some kind of an energy leap out of my body and travel out into the city. I don't' know how to describe it other than saying that it felt as though my consciousness were somehow calling out to someone, or something.

Tomas charged at me again, but I was too slow this time. He grabbed me by the neck with both hands and started choking me. He must have been really pissed off because it felt like he was actually trying to kill me. I heard Emily crying and shouting for someone to help, but no one was paying any attention to her. She tried to jump in. She tried to stop the psycho that was strangling her older brother, but she was easily shoved out of the way.

I felt my airway constricting. It was impossible for me to breathe now. I started feeling dizzy and spots started to swirl around my vision. I grabbed at Tomas' arms and face in a vane attempt to stop him. _This is it_, I thought, _I'm going to die like this_. I hoped that the caretakers would finally see it in their hearts to help me, but they just watched. I think that I even saw one of them laughing.

My eyelids closed. My world went black. I heard Emily screaming at Tomas to stop, but he didn't let go. I was on the ground giving my last worthless efforts to escape when it happened. I heard this tremendous roar and a bunch of kids screaming. Tomas let go of me and something stepped on top of me. Was that a paw?

I opened my eyes to the sight of a massive beast standing over me with one paw on my chest as if it were trying to protect me. It almost appeared to be an oversized, black dog with shaggy fur. The beast stared at Tomas who was cowering in fear at the sight of the creature. The beast growled deep in its throat and showed off its razor sharp teeth. It looked ready to kill.

The beast leapt off of me and charged at Tomas with blinding speed. The poor kid tried to run, but he wasn't nearly as fast as the monstrous dog was. The beast pinned Tomas to the ground in an instant. It used its two massive paws to keep Tomas from moving. The boy tried to escape, but the monster was too strong for him. It barred its enormous teeth in the boy's face. Its jaws opened up as though it were preparing to bite Tomas' head off.

"Stop," I yelled sitting up.

The dog did as I said. It closed its jaws and looked directly at me. That was when I noticed that its eyes were glowing crimson red. Fear replaced my anger in an instant. The beast walked up to me. Just as I thought it was about to attack me, it sat down and wagged its massive tail back and forth like an obedient dog awaiting an order from its master.

I was shocked, so much so that I didn't know what to do. I stared into the dogs eyes, trying to figure out what it was, or why it was there. The dog looked back at me, but I was no longer afraid of it. I could see something in it. It didn't want to hurt me. It appeared to be innocent, like a puppy, a gigantic black puppy that tried to kill someone a minute ago, but a puppy none the less.

Before I could say anything, the beast turned around and ran across the yard. The other children screamed and scattered in various directions to avoid the dog, but it didn't pay any attention to them. It sprinted towards the fence surrounding the yard and bounded over it. Then it disappeared into the city. I was left sitting in stunned silence. Emily was in the same state. And Tomas, well Tomas appeared to have passed out from fear, couldn't really blame the guy.

I stood up and began to walk over to comfort Emily, but I was stopped short when one of the caretakers grabbed my arm and began pulling me towards the orphanage. She was a short, ugly little woman who could pass for being medusa's sister if she wanted. Sometimes, I even imagined that I saw snakes on her head instead of hair. The other caretaker, the first ones sister and just as ugly but taller, came over and began lecturing me.

"I didn't do anything," I told them.

"Don't play dumb with us," she said, "Poor Tomas, look at the boy. I'm surprised he isn't dead after what you did to him."

I was sent to my room for the night without dinner. They act like that's a punishment; the food there was terrible anyway. Besides, Emily brought me up part of her dinner like she always did when I got into trouble. That night, when I looked out of our window from the attic, I saw the dog from earlier staring up at me. I looked down into its crimson red eyes. Did I actually summon that thing?

That was the first of many strange happenings at the orphanage. After that, I ended up calling all manner of strange creatures to help me. Nobody believed me when I told them though. They all said that I was the one that was fighting. How could they not see them, especially the four headed snake that was half the size of the house. The only ones that seemed to believe me were the caretakers, Gretchen and Amellia. They didn't acknowledge it, but I could see it in the way that they looked at me. They knew something that I didn't.

I started reading a lot of books about Greek mythology around that time. I had a lot of trouble reading, probably due to the lack of education that I received at that place, but I managed to get through most of the books that I picked up. I don't know what compelled me to focus on Greek myths, but something about the creatures in those stories seemed familiar. Maybe I thought that the stories would help me explain all of the strange creatures that I was seeing.

Then there was the time with the snake. It wasn't nearly as cool as the monster dog, but it was still worth noting. Anyway, the orphanage kept a pet snake in the foyer (strange place right?). I never paid much attention to it, especially since Emily hated the little guy, but there was one day that I couldn't help but take notice of him.

"Hey you-ssssss," a voice said to me one day while I was walking through the foyer. I stopped and looked around the room. _So, what,_ I thought, _now I'm starting to hear voices_. "Over here-sssss," the voice spoke again. I looked over at the snake in its glass aquarium unable to believe what I was thinking, really, a snake was talking to me.

"It-sssssss about time-ssssss," the snake said to me.

"Rasputin," I asked. (And yes, that is a ridiculous name for a snake, but I was not the one who named him.)

"Ye-sssss," the snake said, "But, plea-sssssssse call me Greg, wherever tho-ssssse idiot-ssss came up with sss-uch a sss-tupid name i-ssss beyond me."

I stood staring at Rasputin, or Greg I suppose, in stunned awe. Was this really happening? This had to be some sort of dream. I mean, how could I logically be talking to a snake? It didn't make any sense. Then again, how could a giant serpent with four heads possibly exist? I guess I should have been a lot more open by this point.

Tomas walked into the room before I could say anything else to Greg, didn't need more reason for everyone to think that I'm an outcast. He bumped into me, clearly doing so on purpose, and then continued on his way. Greg gave Tomas an angry look (I didn't know snakes could change their expression). Obviously, the snake liked Tomas about as much as I did.

"Ssssssss-tupid fat wa-sssssste of ssssss-pace," Greg said. I have to admit that I had a bit of trouble containing my own laughter.

Tomas turned around and looked about the room before focusing on me. "You say something?"

I shrugged. "No," I said, "Must have been the wind."

Tomas stared at me for a moment. He was obviously looking for another reason to pick a fight with me. I was welcoming him to do so. After all, I did have a little serpentine friend to help me this time, not that I was sure that he would be a lot of help, but stranger things have happened. He turned around and grumbled something before he left the room.

"Okay then," I said to Greg, "So I'm not the only one that can hear you."

"Indeed," Greg said, "But you are the only one that can under-ssssssstand me."

"What do you mean," I asked.

"Patience," Greg said, "You will under-ssssssstand in time. For now, get me out of thi-ssssss ssssss-tupid gla-ssssss box."

I hesitated. So, yeah, Greg seemed to be on my side, and yeah, he was the first person (or animal) that had ever talked to me (without insulting me) since I had arrived at the orphanage. However, there was still something about him that made it hard to trust the little guy. This was the simple fact that he was A SNAKE.

"How can I trust you," I asked, "How do I know you're not going to bite me or worse."

"Come on kid," the snake said, "You really think that I would go through thi-sssss much trouble ju-sssst to bite you, be-sssside-ssss, I wouldn't be able to get out of thi-sssss cage if I did anything to hurt you. What, you think I like it in here? Now come on, help me out. I won't hurt you, I promi-ssssssse."

I eyed Greg cautiously. He sounded sincere, but snakes were always the great deceivers in all of the old tales. They would always lie and trick others into doing things for their own benefit. There was a reason that people didn't like them and it was more than just the fact that most people found them creepy. Then again, it was true that he didn't have any reason to deceive me, and he did seem to be speaking honestly.

"Alright," I said. I reached into the cage. I hesitated a couple of times, drawing my hand back in an attempt to avoid a non-existent lunge from Greg.

"Come on," Greg said.

"Well, excuse me," I said, "I'm sorry, but I've never actually picked up a snake before."

I closed my eyes and reached into the cage. It wasn't the best idea since I was now imagining even worse things than just a snake biting me. Somehow, I managed to get a grip on Greg the snake and lift him out of the cage. I held him for a minute and looked at him. He was a dark brown rattle snake (again, this place was weird) with black spots on his back. He had a light brown underbelly and black, beady eyes. When I picked him up, he went into a rage and his tail started making a rattling noise that the whole house was probably hearing.

"Put me down," Greg said, "I hate height-ssssss."

"Sorry," I said. I set Greg down and watched him slither around the entire room multiple times. I think it was the first time I had ever seen him move.

"Freedom," Greg screamed, "FREEDOM!" He slithered around some more before stopping and looking up at me. "Thank-sssss kid," he hissed, "Now, let me do sssssss-omething for you-sssss."

I stood and watched as Greg slithered out of the room. Everything was silent for a bit before I heard a terrible scream coming from the other room. Before I could react, Tomas came running into the room screaming and crying like a baby. He ran straight past me calling for the two caretakers. It wasn't long before they were at his side, comforting the 'poor little dear'.

"What happened," Gretchen asked.

"Are you okay," Amellia asked. It was strange, but the two of them almost sounded like Greg.

"The s-s-s-s-snake," Tomas said between his sobbing, "It, it escaped and it b-b-bit me."

"What," Gretchen said, "How did it escape?"

Tomas pointed at me. "Him," he said, "Hirius must have let it out. He was the only one in the room."

I turned to run out of the room hoping that they had yet to notice me, but Amellia was already there to stop me. I tried to fight her grip, but she was strong for a woman as skinny as she was. She dragged me by my arm towards my room, lecturing me the whole way about how I'm in big trouble now and about how Tomas could die from the snake's venom (He didn't if you actually care). Before she pulled me out of the room, I saw Greg sitting in the entryway to the foyer. He winked at me before I lost sight of him. I'm not sure if I was glad he bit Tomas or not, but I was sure of the fact that it was pretty funny.

I tried talking to other animals after that, but it never seemed to work. I was able to talk to a few snakes that I ran into, but none of them were nearly as interesting as Greg was, they usually just talked about how good mice were. Of course, nobody believed me when I told them that Greg asked me to release him. Actually, most of them didn't even know that I was talking about the snake.

Shortly after the Greg incident, I started to confine myself to my room. The way that I was treated, and by relation the way that Emily was treated, only got worse after Greg. The other kids started saying that I was some kind of freak, that I was insane, and that I should be locked up in an asylum. There was no reason for me to be around them anymore, so what was the point of even leaving my room.

It was nice while I was confined to my room. Emily was always up there to keep me company; it wasn't like she wanted to be around anyone else while I wasn't there. No one bothered us while we were there, the only time they did was when it was time for a meal. It was just Emily and me at that point. All we had was each other. Who am I kidding? The only one we ever had was each other.

It was my twelfth birthday when the incident that ended our somewhat tolerable childhood happened. We were in the attic celebrating what little we had to celebrate, which was mostly the fact that we were still together. The attic was dark. I mean, it was always dark up there, but it seemed darker that night. I didn't mind it. I preferred the darkness over the light. The shadows helped me clear my mind and think straight.

We were just starting to have a good time when a knock came at our door. We weren't sure who would come to bother us at this time, but we pretended not to notice, it wasn't like we cared much who it was, or what they had to say to us. A few hours passed and whoever was outside of our door was still there. It didn't' seem like they were going to leave anytime soon, so I got up and let them in. I was surprised that Tomas would come to bother us even on a day like this.

"Hirius," he said.

"What do you want," I asked.

"Relax," he said, "I just want to talk."

I eyed him suspiciously. "Emily," I said, "Could you leave us alone for a bit."

Emily stood up and left the room, after a bit of an argument. She never liked leaving me alone. She says that all the weird stuff happens whenever she wasn't there. I just told her that she was just being silly.

"So," I said after Emily left, "Talk." I could already feel anger consuming me.

Tomas walked over to the window and stared out at the city. You couldn't see much from that window, but it was just high enough to give a pretty good view. For a long time, Tomas stood in silence and stared out of the window. I didn't' know what he was thinking, or why he was there, and I didn't much care, all I knew was that I wanted him to leave as soon as possible.

"You know," Tomas said, "We've been here for a long time, and we've seen a lot of weird stuff happen over the years. And, well, I've given you and your sister a hard time the whole while, and I just, could you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Was this supposed to be an apology? Was this how people were supposed to ask for forgiveness? He wasn't even looking at me. He wasn't really apologizing. He just came up and asked me if I would forgive him. And how could I do that? After everything that he did, he didn't deserve my forgiveness. My anger started boiling and blood rushed into my face.

That was when things got weird. That was when things usually got weird, when I got angry. The shadows, they started…moving. The darkness surrounding us was beginning to react to my anger, and I couldn't control it. I couldn't stop it; all I wanted to do was shove that fat idiot out of that window. The shadows converged around me, surrounding me in a bubble of pitch black, and yet, I could still see perfectly.

I tried to make sense of what was happening, but all I could think about was how angry I was at Tomas. Then it happened. The shadows moved away from me and shot towards Tomas. I thought that I was imagining it all, but I learned not to think of anything as being my imagination. The shadows slammed into Tomas and he shot forward as though the darkness had somehow gained a solid form.

Tomas let out a scream and flew out of the window. Anger was replaced by shock. I ran to the window and watched helplessly as Tomas plummeted from the top floor of the orphanage and slammed into the ground below. There was no way that he could have survived that fall.

Before long, the caretakers and the other children, including Emily, appeared in the yard below and surrounded the lifeless body. I tried to hide myself, but they saw me. It wasn't long before I was being pulled out of my room by Gretchen, who was screaming at me the whole time. I tried to explain, but I didn't know how I could possibly explain what happened. I risked looking back as I was being pulled away. The darkness, it was….it was following me.

I was locked in my room for weeks after that. Gretchen and Amellia reported everything to the police, but they didn't know how to handle me. Nobody knew what to do with a minor who had committed homicide. Besides, it was hard for them to prove that I had actually killed him. There was no real evidence to prove that I had intended to kill Tomas. I knew that they would prove me guilty eventually. I didn't have much of a defense anyway. They tried to separate me from my sister during that time. I only got to see her once. It was the last time that we would meet in that room.

"Hirius," Emily said when she came into the room.

I was glad to see her. It was the first time we had been together in weeks. She ran up and through her arms around me. I felt her tears rolling down the back of my neck. I waited for her to pull away, but she never did. She buried her head in my chest and I held her. We stayed like that for a long time. The only sound in the room was the sound of Emily's sobs.

"Brother," she said, "You didn't, I mean, you didn't actually kill Tomas, did you?"

"No," I said, "I told you what happened. Don't you believe me?"

"Yes," she said, "I just wanted to hear you say it again." She was silent for a minute. "They want me to say awful things about you."

"What?"

"I didn't," she said, "And I won't. I won't let them lie about you."

"Thank you," I said.

We were silent again. Emily had stopped crying. There was no way that we could stay there. I knew that it was only a matter of time before I was blamed for Tomas' death. They would try and get Emily in trouble too; even if she did agree to whatever they were telling her to do. We had to escape from that place. The shadows in the attic were converging around us, cradling us, like they were trying to take us away from that place.

"Emily," I said, "We have to leave this place." She didn't say anything, but I went on. "We can't stay here, they'll find a way to prove it was us, we have to leave."

"But," Emily said "Where will we go?"

"It doesn't matter," I told her, "We can go anywhere we want as long as were together."

"You really think we could?"

"Yes."

Emily stared at me in silence for a long time. I couldn't tell what she was thinking, but I hoped that she would agree with me. I didn't know where we would go if we escaped, but it didn't matter where we were. We could be living on the street for all I cared. Anywhere was better than living in this place for a moment longer, even if we had to live on the street.

"Okay," Emily said, "But how are we going to escape?"

"Just leave that to me."

I hoped that this would work the way that I thought it would. I held Emily close and started walking towards the door. I watched as the shadows around us moved along with us. So far, everything was going as I thought it would. Now I only had to hope that I would be able to control this power.

We left the room behind and walked through the orphanage. The familiar hallways passed by slowly as we went through each floor. We passed some of the other children, but none of them noticed us. This was working the way that I thought. We were completely invisible.

We reached the foyer. The door was on the other side of the room. All we had to do was reach that door without being noticed. We walked through the room, speeding up as we got closer. That was it, we were free. There was nothing that could get in our way now. That was when Gretchen appeared in front of us. We stopped cold in our tracks. Emily nearly yelped, but I covered her mouth before she could.

Gretchen looked directly at us. She couldn't see us; there was no way she could, what made her different from everyone else. She leaned in close to us. We backed up so that she wouldn't bump into us. Now I was sure that she couldn't see us, but she could definitely tell that something was wrong. Something about the way that she was staring in our direction gave it away. Was she sniffing the air in front of us?

We were dead. She knew that we were there, she had to. I was prepared to run when Gretchen gave me a half-smile. Then she walked past us and left the room. I stood still, holding my breath as though that would hide me. After I was sure that Gretchen was gone, I grabbed Emily and ran out of the door.

It was nighttime out when we ran away, and the moon was dim. It was good, that would make it easier to remain invisible. I guessed that as long as we didn't step under any street lights I would be able to keep us hidden. I still wasn't sure what these powers were all about, but if I could use them to our advantage as long as I could. We ran for a long time. I wanted to make sure we got as far away from that place as humanly possible.

"Hirius," Emily said.

I stopped. I never even considered Emily. She wasn't nearly as fast as I was and I hadn't even realized that I had lost my grip on her and that she was starting to fall behind. She caught up with me and nearly fell over from the strain of it.

"Sorry," I said.

"We can stop running," Emily said, "I think we're far enough away."

Emily grabbed my hand and held it tightly. I smiled and we started walking away. Before we got far, I started to feel strange. It was weird. I felt like something was off. Somehow, I knew that we were in danger. I can't describe how I knew it, but something was telling me that I had to get out of the way. I pulled Emily aside and we both fell to the ground. An arrow flew through the air right above us.

I stood up and looked behind us, the direction that the arrow was fired from. I was surprised to see Gretchen standing there, but there was something different about her. Her skin looked like it had turned to scales, her eyes had turned to two thin slits like a reptile's, her hair had been replaced by snakes, and her legs were replaced by a serpent's tail. She was holding an ancient looking bow that was aimed right at us. Amellia stood behind her sister having all the same changes as her.

"Stheno," Amellia said, "You missed."

"Well it's been a while Euryale," Gretchen said.

"We spent all this time hiding in this worthless place," Amellia said, "A worthwhile demigod finally appears and you miss him. We are not letting this one escape."

I didn't know what they were talking about (A demi-what?), but I wasn't going to let this opportunity pass me up. While the sisters were distracted, I grabbed Emily and we ran through the night. I wasn't sure how the two could see us, but it didn't matter. I had to get us away from them.

"Stheno," I heard Amellia yell, "They're getting away!"

We ran through the streets of New York, the lights shining down on us now that we were actually in the city. I had thought that the lights would hinder my ability to hide us, but I didn't have anymore trouble than I did when I was in the shadows. I guessed that as long as there was darkness nearby then I was able to control it. The streets of New York twisted and turned at every point. The winding roads would make it easier to get away from those two psychos. We turned down an ally. It was a dead end, but it was a good place to hide.

That was what I thought anyway. Before long, the two sisters appeared at the entry to the ally. Emily backed to the wall at the end and pinned herself against it. I stepped forward. I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but I had to protect Emily. The sisters glared at me.

"You see," Amellia said, "I told you they went this way."

"How do you know," Gretchen said, "We can't even see them."

"So what, we can still smell them."

"Gretchen, Amellia," I said. I saw the shadows move away from me. I wasn't sure how I did it, but I wanted those two to see me now.

"There he is," Amellia said, "I told you."

"Indeed, but I do wish he would stop calling us by those ridiculous names," Gretchen looked at me, "Now dear, would you please call us by our real names, I'm Stheno and this is my sister, Euryale."

My face started heating up. "I'll call you Tweedledee and Tweedledum if I want to," I said, "Just leave us alone."

"Now we can't just do that," Stheno said, "We need to kill you after all."

"Yes," Euryale said, "Demigod's as powerful as you two, we'll become legends."

"A what?"

"A demigod," Stheno said, "You know a…."

"No time for that," Euryale said, "He dies now."

Euryale charged at me. I didn't know what to do. How was I supposed to stop a snake woman when I couldn't even stop a fat idiot? I dodged past Eurayale, but ended up in Stheno's line of sight. An arrow flew at me that I managed to avoid somehow. Euryale was on top of me before I could move again and I was pinned up against a wall before I could react.

"Caught you," Euryale said, "You aren't going anywhere."

"Euryale," Stheno said, "Let me kill him."

"No, I'll take this one," she said, "You take care of the little brat."

I struggled against Euryale's grip, but I didn't stand a chance. How could it end like this? I heard Emily scream. I tried to see what was going on, but Euryale kept me from doing so. I swung my fists at the snake woman and tried to kick her as well, but she kept me at a distance. She just laughed as I struggled against her.

I started to get angry. I was so helpless; I couldn't even protect myself let alone my sister. I felt tears forming in my eyes. I tried to scream, I tried to call for help, but I couldn't find my voice. All I could do was sit there and die. Euryale rubbed her claws across my face. I couldn't feel anything now but pure hatred.

It was over; there was no way that I could escape. I watched as Euryale drew her arm back as she prepared to impale me with the claws of her free hand. Just then, the darkness around us began to converge on me. Euryale thrust her hand forward, but it hit an invisible wall of shadows and the woman let out a yelp.

"What," Euryale yelled.

I was beyond angry by this point. I wanted that woman to disappear from existence. I wanted to watch her die. I wanted her to pay for everything that she had done to me and my sister. The shadows surrounded me and moved to my will. The shade shot forward and slammed into Euryale. Another shade reached over and smashed into Stheno as well. The two snake women screamed in agony. When the darkness dispersed, nothing was left of the women but two piles of dust.

I was sitting on the ground now. Emily crawled over to me and buried her head in my chest. She looked over at the two piles of dust in front of us. She must have been thinking the same thing that I was. Were they really dead?

We lived in that alley after that. Neither of us knew where to go, so we just started sleeping there. It wasn't that bad really. We got by on our own. We had to beg on the streets to pay for food. Sometimes we had to steal to get by, but we made do. We didn't care anyway. It didn't matter how we lived as long as we were together. It almost felt like a dream. I soon forgot about the whole thing with the snake women, I pretty much just assumed that it was a bad nightmare. I didn't think that anything could go wrong. No, Emily and I could live like this forever. We would never abandon each other. At least, that was what I thought, until she disappeared.

I woke up early that morning. Usually, I would have found Emily sleeping soundly next to me on that old mattress that we had found. She wasn't there. Something wasn't right; I could feel it right away. There was no reason for Emily to be gone; she never woke up before me anyway.

I didn't know what to do. So, I just sat there. She couldn't have gone far; she must have gone out to do something. So, I waited for her. She had to come back soon; she didn't have anywhere else to go after all. She never came back. I sat there for days. I didn't eat, I didn't drink. I just sat there waiting for her. She had to come back, she just had to. I had pretty much given up. There was no point in trying if my sister was gone. I had no reason to go on. I was alone now. I didn't have anybody else. It was time for me to give up.

"Hello," a girl's voice called to me.

I didn't look at her. I could tell that it wasn't Emily just by the sound of her voice. It was probably just some girl who had wondered back there on accident. The girl walked into the ally and sat down next to me. What the heck was she doing? Why not just leave me there? There wasn't much point in trying to help me. The girl had short, spiky black hair. She was wearing a leather jacket that had studs sewn into it. She wore a pair of tattered black jeans that looked old enough to be something that I would wear.

"So," she said to me, "You live back here?"

I didn't answer her.

"Are you alone?"

I stayed silent. I didn't want to answer her, but there was something about her. I felt like I needed to talk to her. I shook my head. "My sister lives here too."

The girl smiled at me. "That's a little better," she said, "Where is your sister?"

I shook my head again. "I don't know," I said, "She's just gone."

"Then why are you still here," the girl asked.

I looked at her with a bit of surprise. What did she mean, 'why am I still here'? There was no point in going anywhere. There was no point in trying anymore. It wasn't like I could get help from anyone. It wasn't like I could go anywhere for shelter. I couldn't do anything. All I could do was lay down and die. There was nothing else for me in this world.

"You should go look for her," the girl said, "What's the point in sitting here. She's your family. You can't just leave her out there. She could be in trouble; she might need your help. If you sit here doing nothing then you're only hurting her."

What was that supposed to mean? Was she blaming me for all of this? How was it my fault? I wasn't the one who ran away. I wasn't the one who left my family. I wasn't the one who was out in the world while their brother was sitting alone waiting for them. I wasn't the one who could be in trouble. What if she was? What if she needed my help? What if she was lost? What if this really was my fault? Emily could be out there dying and I was just sitting there feeling sorry for myself. I couldn't do that. I had to go out to find her. I had to be there to protect her.

The girl looked off in the distance and then stood up. "I have to go," she said, "My friends are waiting for me. You should think about looking for your sister though."

The girl began to walk away. "Hey," I said, "What's your name?"

She didn't turn to look at me, but she did stop. "Thalia Grace," she said before she left.

Thalia Grace. Well, now I knew who to thank when I finally found my sister. I sat and watched Thalia leave the ally. I stood up and walked out after her. I had to find Emily. I had to search everywhere; I would search the whole country if I had to. I would do whatever it took to find her.


	2. Chapter 2

**-A Demi-what?-**

* * *

So, it turned out that the city would be a harder place to search than I had thought. I was planning on doing everything alone, but it appeared that I would need some help. And just where was I supposed to get it? I didn't have any family. I didn't have any friends. There was no one that I could turn to since I was still technically a wanted criminal. All I had with me was a picture of me and Emily that had been taken while we were at the orphanage and that wasn't really much for me to go on. Okay, so I jumped the gun a bit. Maybe I should have made a plan, gotten some supplies first, but I was only twelve.

I went into the city again, after having gotten lost and walking in a huge circle the first time, but this time I was planning for a much longer search. I managed to steal a nice backpack from one of the many stores I had to pick from. I didn't have much that I needed to carry, but I still thought that it would come in handy. I also got my hands on a bit of money, some food, and a couple of extra sets of clothing. I went back to the alley. I changed into one of the new sets of clothes that I had stolen and packed everything else away. I was ready to leave now, but there was one thing that I wanted to try first.

I looked out at the entryway to the alley. I concentrated. I never could figure out how I had done it before, but I just focused on the memory of it and tried to remember how it felt. It worked. I felt my consciousness reaching out and spreading through the city like wildfire. I couldn't control where it went, but the fact that I had managed to do it was enough for me. I felt the energy retract and a moment later I heard something running towards me from the street.

Within seconds, a massive dog was standing at the entryway to the alley, glaring at me with its glowing red eyes. I watched it carefully. I had never been attacked by any of the creatures that I had summoned, but that didn't make them any less dangerous. The dog took a step forward and then another. It cautiously walked into the depths of the alley as though it were afraid of getting too close to me. I stood silently until the beast was standing in front of me with its massive tail wagging.

"Hello," I said. (So, Hirius, now we're talking to oversized dogs that might want to kill you?)

The beast stared at me.

"I'm Hirius," I said. The dog did nothing. "Do you have a name?"

It remained silent and still as ever. I don't know what I was trying to do. I figured that if I could talk to snakes then maybe I could also communicate with these strange creatures that I was somehow able to summon. However, that was not the case. Either these creatures couldn't talk, or this one was just really shy.

"I'm looking for my sister," I told the beast.

It continued to stare at me with its crimson eyes. The creature seemed to have some kind of reaction when I mentioned my sister. I'm not sure why it responded, but it was at least a sign that it was willing to help me. The beast tilted its head forward as though it were nodding to me. That was when I realized that I was looking at the same beast that had helped me when I was nine.

"Can you help me," I asked, "She looks like this."

I pulled the picture out of my pocket and showed it to the dog. I didn't think that it would do any good to show him what Emily looked like, but it was the only thing that I could think to do. The dog stared at the picture for a moment. Then, it stepped forward and began to sniff at the picture. It walked away and over to the mattress that we had used to sleep on. It stepped up onto the mattress and began sniffing it as well.

"No, no," I said, "This is not the time for a nap. I need your help."

The dog either didn't hear me, or it was ignoring me. It continued sniffing at the bed as though I were not even there. After a moment, it jumped off and bounded over to me. It stood so that I was facing its side. I looked at the dog, not knowing what it wanted me to do, and after some time, the dog looked back at me like it was waiting for something. I stepped forward, realizing what the dog wanted from me, and climbed onto its back. I secured myself into a riding position and grabbed onto a handful of fur in front of me, since there was nothing else to hold onto.

The dog stood up straight. I was raddled around a bit, but I managed to stay on it. I imagined that this must have been what riding on a horse would feel like, though a horse would be a bit taller. The dog bounded forward, running at top speed, and took off into the streets of New York. It was faster than I had thought. I held onto it as tightly as I could, but I was just barely staying on. The buildings around me were a blur, I couldn't even figure out where we were. Every so often, the dog would slow down and sniff at the air, and then it would take off again, nearly throwing me off of its back.

It ran for hours. I wasn't sure how far we had gone, or even where we were when it stopped, but I was glad to be back on the ground. After I assured myself that I was still alive, I noticed that we were somewhere outside of the city now on the side of the highway leading into the rest of the state. I looked at the dog. Its ears were drooping downward now and its head was lowered. I couldn't read a dog's emotions very well, but I guessed that it had lost Emily's scent. So it was true then. She wasn't in the city anymore.

The dog whimpered. "It's okay," I said.

Now things had become complicated. If Emily wasn't in the city anymore then I would have to search the rest of the state and maybe even the rest of the world if it came to that. I looked at the highway trying to figure out where I should go to next. The logical step would be to go to the nearest town or city and search there. Emily couldn't have gotten far in just four days, not by herself anyway, so she had to be nearby. I looked at the dog still whimpering in front of me.

"Hey," I said, "Maybe there's something else that you can help me with."

I patted the beast on the head. It perked up right away and its tail began wagging again. It sat waiting for a new command. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the creature was little more than a loyal dog like any other, though this dog seemed to be something straight from hell. I guess that was a good name for it then, a hellhound.

"My sister isn't in the city anymore," I said though I was sure that the hellhound already knew that, "But that doesn't mean anything, I still have to find her, but I'll need your help. Do you think you can take me to the nearest city?"

The hellhound stared at me for awhile like it was wondering how to go about its new command. It turned so that I was facing its side once again. It looked at me as if to say, hop on. I climbed onto its back and held on tight again. I was prepared for the creature's immense speed this time. Well, I would have been, if it hadn't taken off before I could secure myself properly. Before I knew it, the hellhound was charging along at top speed down the busy highway, leaving me to hold onto his fur with one hand.

I watched as the cars around us, which had to be traveling pretty fast themselves, were left behind in the hellhound's dust. I'm sure that most of them saw us, but it didn't' seem like there was any type of reaction. The hellhound slowed down so that it was speeding along right next to one of the cars on the road. In the driver's seat of the car next to us sat a fat, middle-aged, bald man wearing a large pair of glasses. I waved to him, but he didn't seem to notice me. Maybe none of these people could see us.

I tightened my grip on the hellhound so that I would be able to hold on when it sped up again. I wasn't sure what it was doing, but it appeared to be sniffing the air again. It must have been trying to pick up Emily's scent once more. I was kind of happy to see it working so hard to help me. It felt like I actually had a friend for once, a big scary dog friend, yes, but a friend none the less.

I pulled myself up so that I could speak to the hellhound again. "Hey," I said, "You never said whether or not you had a name." It didn't say anything. I know that it couldn't talk, but it felt right to ask it about this. After all, if it was going to help me, it would need a name, I couldn't just keep referring to it as 'the hellhound' the entire time. "Okay then," I said, "How about I name you." It still remained silent, but I guessed that meant that it was okay with my idea. I thought for a moment. I wasn't sure what a good name for a gigantic dog was, but I figured that any dog name would work. Then it hit me that I didn't even know what gender the hellhound was, though I had some ideas. It didn't take me long to figure out what I wanted to name it, though I was unsure why I picked that name. "How about Elice," I said to the hellhound. It didn't seem to have any bias about the name, but I noticed its tail wagging violently behind me. It must have liked the name. "That's a good name," I said, "That was my mom's name."

I was silent for the rest of the trip. Elice the hellhound bounded past cars and trucks and various other vehicles as she sped faster and faster down the highway. She slowed down a few times and would begin to sniff the air again in an attempt to pick up Emily's scent. A city came into view, but Elice showed no signs of slowing down. She sped through the streets and before I knew it we were back to traversing down the highway again. Elice must have picked up on Emily's scent again because we ended up traveling through multiple cities before she decided to stop in one.

I stepped down from Elice's back. The buildings around me were huge, just as big as those in New York City. Then again, I hadn't even seen the majority of New York, so I wasn't exactly the best source. Elice stared at me intently as I looked around the city. I was starting to be able to communicate with her by seeing how she looked at me. This one was pretty clear. _The trail stops here._

"Good job girl," I said to Elice, "I guess I'll have to see if I can find Emily here."

I was surprised that Emily had made it that far in such a short time. I wondered if Elice was even right about her being there, but I wasn't going to question her tracking abilities. Emily couldn't have made it there on her own though, so there had to be another explanation. It scared me to think about it, but the only way that she could have gotten there so fast, was if she had been kidnapped. If that was the case then she was in danger. I had to find her before something really bad happened.

"I'll be back girl," I said.

I took off down the street, but I soon found that Elice was following me. I didn't want her to do that. I needed to search the city alone. Walking around with a giant dog would draw too much attention, even if it seemed that no one was noticing her. Despite that, I wasn't going to take any chances. I stopped and turned to Elice. She sat down in front of me and waited. I began to scold her, but all she did was sit there and whimper.

"I can't take any chances here," I said, "If someone does see you, it'll slow down my search." Elice walked up and began nudging my shoulder with her head. "Stop that," I said, but she ignored me. "You really want to help don't you?" She sat up and stared at me. "Alright," I said. I thought for a minute. I couldn't take the chance of someone seeing Elice and slowing my search, and possibly having the police after me, but she was determined to help me no matter what I said. "Here's what we'll do," I began, "We can split up, you search part of the city and I'll search the rest, but we meet back here when the sun starts to set, okay?"

Elice let out a loud yelp, which I assumed to mean that she was okay with my plan. She bounded off down the opposite direction of the street, leaving me to continue on the way that I had been going. I looked back at Elice as she disappeared from my sight with a crowd of people seemingly unaware of her presence all around her. I hoped that it would stay that way. I couldn't even imagine what would happen to this city if someone saw Elice running around on the streets.

It wasn't exactly easy to search for a ten-year old girl in any large city, but I did what I could. I went to any buildings that I thought a child might find amusing. I also went around to all of the abandoned buildings and any of the cheap looking hotels, basically anywhere that a criminal might try to hide. Of course, I knew nothing of this city, so I was probably going to all the wrong places. I started asking people if they had seen Emily, using the picture I had of us as a reference, after I ran out of places to search. Nobody I asked had ever seen her before.

From the information I could gather from the people, I was in the city of Albany, New York, the capital. It wasn't as big as Manhattan was, at least from what it looked like to me, but it was still a rather large city. Moving on from the buildings that seemed like the obvious places for me to search, and having given up on the possibility that anyone might have seen Emily, I started looking through the alleyways of the city. I thought that, if she were on her own, Emily would probably resort to the one place that we had to resort to when we ran away.

I was on the verge of giving up. The sun was beginning to set. I didn't have any way of telling what time it was, but I at least knew that it was getting late and that it would be night soon enough. I was exhausting what little I could searching the streets and I was getting lost at every turn. Actually I wasn't even sure that I knew where I was anymore, but I didn't really care. I turned down another empty alley. It was a dead end. I turned to leave, but I was trapped. At the end of the alley were three massive dogs, each as big as Elice.

I stepped back into the alleyway and pinned myself against the wall at the end. There was nowhere that I could run. The beasts closed in on me. I could tell that they were all hellhounds just like Elice, but they did not look as friendly as she was. They growled at me, each showing off its razor sharp teeth. I tried calling out to Elice like I had done before, but I was too afraid to concentrate and I failed to extend the reach of my power beyond the three hellhounds. Then a different idea came to me.

"Hey there guys," I said to them. It wasn't the best plan in the world, but I thought that if I could control one of them, maybe I could control more. "How are you," I said trying to speak calmly, "You know, I have a friend that you guys would love, her name's Elice. Have you met her?"

One of the hellhound's snapped at me. Well, that plan was getting me nowhere. So, what to do now? I had to think of something fast. The hellhounds were drawing closer to me with every second and something told me that they were not going to continue playing with me for long. The largest of the three charged forward and pounced. I had only a few seconds. I controlled the shadows, the only one of my strange abilities that I had ever used with some degree of control, and the hellhound was thrown into the wall.

I surrounded myself. I was hidden like I had been when I escaped the orphanage with Emily, but I knew that I couldn't trick them for long. I could sneak past while they were confused, but they would pick up my scent soon, or however it was that these things could find me, and then my stealth would be useless. I dashed forward and ran between the other two hellhounds. The first one was back on its feet and charging towards me again, the others were coming out of their momentary surprise and joined their friend in his charge.

I had to buy myself some time if I was going to survive. I turned around and willed the darkness surrounding me to charge forward. The shadows slammed into the hellhounds simultaneously and they were all thrown into the wall at the end of the alleyway. Someone behind me let out a scream as I must have appeared right in front of them, but I didn't pay them any attention. I sprinted down the street, hiding myself in a crowd of people on the sidewalk.

It was hard to get through the mass crowds of people in the city, but I managed to find a way. I knew that I could not hide from these things; they would sniff me out eventually. The only solution was to find a way to kill them somehow, but what was I supposed to do? I had no weapons. I was helpless. I tried to call Elice again, but I was still unable to concentrate properly. I ran and ran trying to think of something, anything that I could use to kill these creatures.

I was so caught up with those thoughts that I didn't even notice that one of them had gotten in front of me. Before I could think about it, I was pinned to the ground with the largest of the three dogs trying to bite at my neck. I don't know how I was able to do it, but I somehow managed to grab the hellhound by its throat and was holding it back, though just barely so. I was losing it fast. It wouldn't be long before the creature broke my grip.

I closed my eyes, but just then I felt the weight on top of me being flung off. I sat up and saw Elice pinning the hellhound that had attacked me to the ground and biting into its jugular. The creature turned to dust before my eyes, just as the two snake women had done in the alleyway three months ago. Elice turned around just in time to swat away one of the other hellhounds as it attempted to jump on her back. The last of the three joined the fight as well. Elice stood her ground against the two. She was a bit larger than they were, but she wouldn't be able to beat both of them.

One of them pounced. Elice smacked him away with her paw, but the second one was closing in. I stood up and charged at the second hellhound and grabbed it by its neck. I wasn't able to kill them, but I could at least even the odds a little bit. The first hellhound stood up and tried to attack me, but Elice managed to tackle him and he turned to dust as Elice bit into his neck. I tried to hold the last one in place, but I was tossed to the ground like a useless rag doll.

The last of the hellhounds began to close in on me. I willed the shadows around me forward and the beast slammed into the shield that I had created. I pushed the darkness outward and the hellhound flew back and rolled across the ground. The sun had set now. The street was dark, illuminated only by the streetlights. I felt stronger, faster, and more confident. I don't' know what it was, but something about the nighttime air was making me feel…better.

Elice charged at the last hellhound as it got to its feet, but the beast threw her aside. I charged forward, hoping that it would remain distracted, but I had no such luck. The creature turned and tried to swat me away with its massive paw. I was able to duck under his attack, just barely avoiding having my head taken off. I willed the darkness to surround the hellhound. The beast tried to attack me again, but it ran into the wall of the prison that the shadows were creating. It tried to escape, but it was trapped. The darkness converged on the hellhound, compressing its prison. Tighter, tighter, the beast let out a pain filled yelp as its prison of dusk crushed it and it turned into dust.

Elice got to her feet, but something was off about her. She walked over to me and I noticed that she was walking with a limp. I had never thought of it before, but I guess it was possible for her to get hurt. She stood in front of me so I was facing her side. She couldn't possibly be suggesting this. There was no way that she could run, let alone carry me, with a broken leg.

"No," I said, "Elice, you can't carry me in your condition." Elice gave me a hard stare. I knew what she was telling me. _I'll be fine_. I didn't think so. She looked bad. If we didn't wrap up that leg soon, then she was going to end up hurting herself even worse. "Elice," I said. She wouldn't let me continue. She let out a loud yelp. I knew that there was no way to convince her otherwise. I climbed on her back and she took off.

I knew that it was a bad idea. It was obvious from the start that she wouldn't be able to get very far. I already started to notice that she was moving slower than before. Her leg was making it harder for her to jump too. She even had trouble getting over the smaller cars, even though she would have easily gotten over them before. I had to put an end to this before something bad happened.

"Elice," I screamed, "Stop!"

I was surprised that she actually listened to me. I had expected to have to scream at her multiple times, but she stopped as soon as I yelled it the first time. I climbed off of her back and Elice fell over on her side. She wasn't badly injured, but running the short distance that she had must have taken a lot out of her. I looked at her broken leg. It didn't look good. I could see where the bone had fractured and it was already starting to turn a dark purple color.

I inspected the area around us. We were already outside of the city, so there was nowhere that I could go to get a splint. Luckily, this had happened before. Emily had broken her arm once and the caretakers refused to take us to the hospital. Instead, I fashioned a splint for her arm myself. It took longer to heal than it should have, but it worked all the same. I got started. I found a nice sized, sturdy stick, one that I hoped Elice wouldn't be able to break. I ripped off pieces of the shirt that I was wearing and began tying the strips around Elice's leg so that the stick would be kept in place and she would keep her leg straight. I surveyed my work when I was finished.

"Stand up," I told Elice.

She did so. It appeared that she was having trouble, but she managed to stand up and walk around on her new leg with the crudely made splint holding in place. Despite the trouble she was having, it did seem like she was in less pain, which was at least good for a start. After a little trot around the area, Elice laid down on her side again. I lay down with her, using her as a pillow.

"Good idea girl," I said, "It's been a long day. I had no idea that it was going to be an even longer night.

It was the strangest dream ever. Nothing could possibly beat it. I was in this…well, it was definitely a place. To be honest, I have no idea where the hell I was. It could only be described as a dark room; it looked like it was underground. All around me were armed guards. Now, these were no ordinary armed guards. They weren't ordinary because they were all dead, like rotted down to skeletons dead. There had to be at least a dozen of them, each holding a different weapon, from a spear all the way up to an AK-47.

The best that I could guess was that I was going to die. So I did the natural thing, I hid. I willed the darkness around me, and there was a lot of it, to converge and shroud me. It must have worked. None of the guards made a step to attack me. Then again, none of them had moved since I had appeared in that room. Maybe they were all really dead and I was completely blowing this situation out of proportion.

"He has arrived," A ghostly voice filled the room, "Finally."

I looked around to see which one of them was talking. It wasn't long before I realized that someone else was in the room. In front of me was a set of stairs that was made out of what I was pretty sure were bones. At the top of the stairs was a throne and on the throne sat a man dressed in pure black robes. Something was off about those robes. Was I seeing faces in the threads of his garment?

"Your efforts are worthless," The ghost voice said. The man's face was shadowed over, but I saw enough that I could now tell that it was him that was talking. "You cannot hide from me in my own palace."

I felt something strange in that moment. I tried to pull the shadows closer to me, but something was wrong. It felt like they were fighting against me somehow. It was like they didn't want me to control them. This must have been the man on the throne's doing. So there were others like me then, other people that had the same abilities. I continued to try and pull the darkness tighter around me, but I was just barely able to keep them where they were. All at once the shade dispersed and I was exposed.

"There isn't that better," the man said, "A conversation is clearer when you can see the one you are conversing with."

"Who are you," I asked. I tried to sound confident, but I was failing at it.

"Impressive," the man said, "Even in the presence of one so powerful you can keep up a brave front, any mortal would easily fall for your bravado."

I didn't like the way that he said the word 'mortal.' He said it like he was somehow exempt from the category. The man began tapping the armrest of his chair with one of his long, scraggy fingernails. I didn't know what it was that he was waiting for, but I wasn't going to speak. This man obviously wanted something from me though. Whatever it was, I wasn't going to give it up.

"I must say," the man said, "You put up quite the impressive fight. I didn't expect to have to use my full strength to expose you."

"You never answered my question," I said, "Who are you?"

The man was silent for a time as though he were contemplating how best to answer me. "Hirius," he said. I was too scared to wonder how he knew my name. "Have you ever wondered where you came from, what you are?"

"That didn't answer my question either," I said.

The man allowed himself a low chuckle. "No," he said, "I suppose it didn't, but answer my questions and you will find the answer to yours."

He was silent again. I thought about his questions for a time. Where I came from? What I was? I guess I never had thought about that before. Where I had come from? My mom was poor. We lived in the slums of the city, the worst part of town. The orphanage was worse though. I never got a very good education, but I was able to teach myself well enough. Was that the answer he was looking for? What I was? I had thought about it before. The only answer I could give him was that I wasn't human, or at least, I wasn't like other humans.

"Well," the man said, "Have you?"

"No," I said, "All I know is that I am not like everyone else."

"Exactly," the man said, "But have you ever wondered what you are?"

"I," I began to speak, but I hesitated. _What am I_, I thought. I wasn't human, that was the only answer I could come up with. That word earlier, 'mortal,' this man spoke as though he were not one. "I am not a mortal," I said.

"Yes," the man said, "You are closer to the answer. So again I ask, where did you come from?"

"I was poor," I said not hesitating to answer this time, "My mom did her best to raise us, but she died when I was young."

"Think on how she died," the man said.

"She was killed by some strange creature; it was, like a half-bull half-man type of thing, I'm not sure what it was."

"You know what it was."

I did know what it was, but could something like that really exist? All of those books I read back at the orphanage, could my favorite of those stories really have been true? The ancient Greek myths, the heroes, the monsters, the gods, were it actually possible for any of that to exist? Was the thing that killed my mother actually the Minotaur?

"It was the Minotaur," I said, "The monster that lived in the labyrinth on the island of Crete. It served King Minos."

"Yes," the man said, "Sometimes those monsters do get out of control when they escape."

"Who are you," I asked.

"You already know the answer to that," the man said, "So tell me, who am I?"

My head swirled with so many questions. None of this could be real, it was just a dream, of course. I was still sleeping in that field with Elice. I would wake up any moment and be riding off into the distance once again. This was way too real though. It all felt too real to be a dream. But it had to be. How could this person really exist otherwise?

"You are Hades," I said, "The Greek god of the Underworld."

I still couldn't see his face clearly, but I could see the smile that spread across it. I looked at the room again. I was in the Underworld, the land of the dead. The place where the Greek claimed the human spirit went once the body died. Was I dead then? Had I died somehow during the night?

"Good," Hades said, "So I ask once more, what are you?"

"I…I don't know," I answered.

"You do," Hades said.

"No."

"You are a demigod."

There was that word again. It was the second time that I had heard someone use it. That was what the two snake women had called me the night me and Emily had escaped from the orphanage. What the hell did it mean though? What in the world was I? What the hell was a demigod?

"I still don't know," I said, "What are you talking about?"

"A demigod," Hades said, "You are half-human, and half-god."

"That's," I said. I was going to say impossible, but I really didn't know what that word meant anymore. "That doesn't make sense."

"Doesn't it," Hades said, "Think about it, you know your mother's fate, but what about your father, have you ever met him before?"

I started to speak, but I cut myself short. It was true. I had never met my father before. In fact, I had never even known what his name was. My mother had never said anything about him. It was almost like he had never existed. _No_, I thought, _that can't be true. Think, there has to be something about him that mom had mentioned_. There was nothing. I went through everything I could remember about mom, but there was not a single mention of my father.

"You cannot answer me," Hades said, "Because you never knew your father. Do you know why? It is because he is a god, Hirius. He couldn't stay with you, none of us can. That is why you never knew him."

I was at a loss for words. My father was a god. Was that really true? I was a demigod. Was that true as well? Was I really one of the heroes that I had read so much about when I was young? A hero like Theseus, or Hercules, or Perseus, could I be like one of the men that I had so often wanted to be? So many questions were lingering in my head, so many questions I wanted to ask, but there was one that I had to know the answer to.

"How," I said, "How do you know my name? WHO ARE YOU?!"

The smile returned to Hades' face. "Come now, Hirius," he said, "haven't you figured it out already?"

Again he answers my question with another question. He was right though. I already knew the answer. "You're my father," I said. The smile on his face grew wider.

"Yes, Hirius," Hades said, "And I have been watching you for a long time. You may be exactly what I need."

"Wait," I said, "Before we go on, I want my questions answered now."

Hades lost his grin. Two lights glowed over his face, two fires that ignited in his eyes, but they faded quickly. "Very well," Hades said, "I suppose that I owe you a few answers anyway."

This was my chance. It was my chance to find out everything about my past. Why had my father abandoned me? Why was my mother killed? Why was my life cursed? I began to speak, but I never asked any of those questions. I thought about it, and those questions had already been answered. I was a demigod. That was the answer to every question that I had. So then, what was the point in asking any of them?

"Why the secrecy," I asked, "Why contact me in a dream?"

Hades seemed caught off guard by my question. He must have guessed that I would raise one of the questions that I was thinking about. He hesitated at first, but he spoke his answer.

"You do not wish to inquire about your mother's death, or me abandoning you, or any of that dramatic crap?"

"No," I said, "I already know the answer."

"Very well," Hades said, "My brothers are the answer to your question. I couldn't have them knowing about you."

"Why not?"

"The prophecy," he said.

The word caught me off guard. I thought about all of the stories I had read. Prophecies were usually bad. They usually ended with someone getting hurt, or worse. If I remembered correctly, a prophecy would usually give some kind of indication of coming events. The events could happen within a few days or may not happen for a century or two. Either way, they always came to pass. The only question was what this prophecy was, and what I had to do with it.

"What prophecy," I asked.

"The big one," Hades said.

"Not specific enough."

"No," Hades said, "I suppose that it isn't, but that's all that I can tell you."

It was hard to read what he was thinking since his face was shadowed over. I suppose that it would be hard to tell what a god was thinking whether I could see his face or not. Regardless of that, I could tell that he didn't want me to know something. All I could gather was that there was some kind of major prophecy and I was involved in it somehow. I should have pressed Hades for more answers, but I didn't' think it would do me any good. I wasn't getting anything more from him no matter how hard I tried.

"Fine," I said, "Then tell me this, why did you call me here?"

"The prophecy," Hades said again.

"What prophecy?!"

Hades' lips curved into a smile once again. "Trust me," he said, "You will learn of it, and your role in it, in due time, but that time is not now. I have called you here to ensure that you are the demigod mentioned in the prophecy." He took a pause like he was waiting for a response from me. "You need to survive," he continued on, "Another few years at least, and with your current level of skill…well, let's just say that you'll be dead within a week."

"Then you intend to keep me here until then?"

"No," Hades said, "I couldn't do that even if I wanted to, not unless you were physically here. No, I simply intend to train you. I will teach you how to survive, how to fight, and, hopefully, how to control your powers."

"That's it," I asked.

"Yes."

"What about Emily," I asked, "Isn't she your child as well?"

"No," Hades said, "She is indeed a demigod, but she is not my child. In fact, she isn't even your sister."

I was at a loss for words. He had to be lying to me by that point, it was the only explanation. Emily and I had been together ever since she was a baby. How could she not be my sister? Maybe this was some kind of trick. Hades wanted me to survive for a few more years, as he put it, so he could have been trying to keep me from looking for her. Whatever his intentions were, I had to figure them out.

"How is that possible?"

"A long story hers is," Hades said, "But it is not mine to tell. She will tell you when you find her, but only then."

"You intend for me to continue searching for her?"

"I do," Hades said, "In fact, I need you to continue searching for her. It is the only way that you will get the training that you need, outside of my own involvement of course."

"And why didn't Emily say anything about this before?"

"She has only recently acquired the knowledge; it is the reason that she abandoned you."

That was a hard blow to deal with. Emily actually had abandoned me. She left me sitting in that alleyway alone to die. She didn't even have the heart to tell me she was leaving. I couldn't believe it. There was no reason to go after her anymore, she didn't care about me, and I wasn't going just because Hades wanted me to.

There was something that kept nagging at me though. Something told me that I couldn't give up yet. Despite what Hades said, despite whatever our relationship was, Emily and I had been together since we were little. It didn't matter whether we were blood relatives or not, Emily was my sister, and nothing could change that fact.

I wanted to change the subject as soon as possible. "How can I believe any of this," I asked though I believed every word of it, "How can I be sure that any of this is actually happening?"

"I thought you would ask that question."

Hades lifted his arm so that he was pointing at me. His fingers stretched outward so that I was looking at his open palm. His skin was so pale that it actually appeared to be glowing in the darkness of the room. The shadows around me began to converge, but it was not in the way that I was used to. They began to form around my hand and they started to form a shape. The shape became more and more defined until I was sure I was looking at a sword. I reached out and grabbed the handle of the sword which assumed a physical form at my touch.

The blade was large, at least five feet in length, but it was not heavy. In fact, I could swing it around with the same ease that I would swing a large stick. The metal shined in the darkness. It appeared to be made of steel, but something about it was different. I had never seen black steel before. The hilt was in the shape of a human skull, a bit smaller than an average one, which had sparkling rubies encrusted in place of its eyes. I looked the blade over and discovered a word glowing in bright golden letters on the side. It was in some form of writing, I assumed that it was ancient Greek, but I could read it somehow. The word read: Kardiabisma.

"What," I began, but I was at a loss for words.

"That is the sword, Kardiabisma, Heartstopper," Hades said, "A gift from your father. A sword forged of stygian iron, cooled in the river Styx. It will kill anything, monster or mortal." He paused in his speech. "I will teach you to use it."

I looked up at Hades. "How does this answer my question?"

"Simple," Hades said, "When you wake up, the blade will be in your hands as solid as it is now. That should be enough proof that what transpired here is nothing short of the truth."

I looked over the blade again. The golden letters shined brightly, illuminating the whole of the room. The skeletal guards around me drew back a few steps as the light cut through the dark. Then, as I stared at it, the word faded away, leaving no trace that it had ever been emblazoned upon the blade.

I looked back up at Hades. I wasn't sure what to make of everything, but I was so sure that it was all true. Somehow, I just knew that I truly was a demigod, the son of Hades.

I swung Heartstopper through the air, testing its weight. I pointed the tip of it in Hades' direction. "Very well," I said, "Let the training begin."


	3. Chapter 3

**-Shadow Travel-**

* * *

"Eager aren't we," Hades asked.

I have to admit, I was avid to start training. Ever since I had discovered these strange powers of mine, I had wanted to learn what they were, and how I could use them. I had taught myself a little bit, but I guessed that with a god helping me it would be much easier to learn. I gave Hades a smile and then lowered my sword. Pointing the tip of a blade at a god probably wasn't good for my health.

Hades smiled again. "Let's see how much you know."

He put me through a series of exercises, which were supposed to test how capable I was with each of my powers. It turned out exactly how I expected. I wasn't able to summon any creatures unless I was put in some kind of danger. I wasn't very good with Heartstopper, even though I was surprised at the very fact that I was able to wield it with even the slightest amount of skill. The only thing I was able to do without trouble was manipulate shadows.

"At least you are competent enough with one of your more useful skills," Hades said, "Shadow manipulation is lost to most demigods."

"What do you mean," I asked, "It seems easy enough."

"Easy enough for you," Hades laughed, "You are special, you actually inherited the ability from me. Most of my children, before that stupid treaty, were unable to use this ability just as easily."

"Then why can I use it?"

"Luck is the best answer I can give you," Hades said, "Darkness used to be a thing to fear, like death. The two would always go together perfectly." I saw the fires reignite in his eyes. "But humans are creative, finding ways to shut out the darkness with their artificial light production. My children lost the ability to manipulate shadows in recent years, but you have been given the gift, one of my most powerful skills."

I looked around the room. There was hardly any light to see by, but I was only now noticing it. I hadn't realized before because I could see through the darkness perfectly despite the fact that it was pitch black. The only thing that was obscured was Hades' face. He must have been hiding it from me. I never thought that I was special in any way, not until I found out I was a demigod anyway. Apparently I was special even among their ranks too.

"What about my other powers," I asked looking back at Hades, "What else am I capable of?"

Hades frowned now. "Not much right now," he said, "But you have great potential. You have shown that you can control my monsters, the ones that are still loyal anyway, and with practice, you could become almost unstoppable." Hades stopped and looked me over like he was trying to decide how to proceed. "You can talk to snakes; those things are always associated with the underworld in one way or another. It's an interesting ability that might come in useful, but you can practice with it on your own time if you choose to," he continued, "Your sword skills are amateurish at best, but that was to be expected, they can be polished with time, at least you show that you can wield a blade, which is good enough for now."

I stood silently and listened to Hades' speech. I thought deeply about every word he spoke. Every detail was something new that I was learning, it was like I had been thrust into someone else's body and I had to learn every little thing about them if I was going to survive. He stopped talking after some time and looked down at me. I wasn't sure how to proceed, but I knew that it was my turn to speak.

"So," I began, "where should we start?"

Hades laughed again. "I shall never get over that attitude of yours," he said, "Very well, we should begin with shadow manipulation, particularly, the most useful of skills, shadow travel."

"Shadow travel?"

Hades took the next hour or so to explain it in detail to me. Shadow travel was an ability that I could use to transport myself from one place to another in an instant. I could use it anywhere, but it would take much of my strength, at first anyway, to use it. With practice, I might be able to use it without draining myself. On the plus side, if I used it in a dark place, it wouldn't take as much from me.

"So how does it work," I asked when Hades finished his explanation.

"Patience," he said, "Transporting yourself would be dangerous without some kind of practice."

"How do I practice without transporting myself though?"

"Easily," Hades said, "You will practice using your sword."

"How?"

"I will teach you how you can send your sword to a location and then bring it back to yourself in a matter of seconds."

"But how does this teach me anything?"

"Transporting inanimate objects through shadow travel is the same concept as traveling there yourself," Hades explained, "The only difference is that you can't hurt yourself by transporting something that is not alive, unless you send the sword through your own heart."

"Reassuring," I said.

"Besides," Hades went on ignoring my comment, "You can't carry Heartstopper around with you everywhere. Being able to hide it and bring it to you at any moment can be a handy skill. Plus, losing your blade in a battle can have dire consequences. It would be useful if you could get it back without physically touching it."

"Alright," I said, "You made your point. So, tell me how this shadow traveling thing works."

Hades smiled again. "Very well," he said, "Its easy enough, you simply have to bring a shade in around the object, then you must picture the object resting in the place you wish to send it, and then, poof, its gone and right where you want it to be."

"Sounds easy enough," I commented.

"Put it to the test then," Hades said as he held out his hand, "Send your sword into my hand."

I looked down at Heartstopper. I willed the shadows around me to converge on the sword and create a shade around it. I closed my eyes and concentrated. I pictured the pommel of the sword resting in Hades' hand. The blade began to get lighter and lighter until I felt like I was no longer holding it. I opened my eyes to see how I had done, but then I heard a scream. I looked up at Hades to find that the blade had pierced his chest. Golden liquid, some form of blood, poured from the wound and down his throne.

"Hades," I said.

I began to rush forward to help him, but I didn't get far. Two of the skeletal guards grabbed me from behind. I struggled against them, but they were too strong for me. Just when I was ready to give up, the two guards released their grip and turned to dust before my eyes. I looked up and saw Hades resting on his throne as he had been before, like he had never been stabbed by the blade. He held _Kardiabisma_ in his right hand. I was struck silent.

"At least you managed to get it close," he said, "Try it again." The blade disappeared and returned to my grip. I looked at it. There was no sign that it had seen any violence. Hades' blood, or whatever it was, was nowhere to be found on the blade. "And this time, try not to kill me, not that you could."

"How," I said staring at Hades in stunned awe.

"Weren't you listening to me before," he asked, "I am Hades, the god of death, I am immortal. You could do little more than cause me a bit of discomfort, let alone kill me."

I couldn't believe that had actually happened. Even if Hades was a god, it wasn't every day that you could watch a man get stabbed in the heart and live. This experience was only the first in a long line too, I could tell. I wondered what else the world of the gods would have in store for me.

I stood up, having realized that I had fallen to my knees, and looked up at Hades again. He watched me intently, waiting for me to try the exercise again. I looked down at the blade for the second time. I was reluctant to try it, but I started the process from the beginning. The shadows formed a shade around the length of the blade. I closed my eyes and imagined it resting in its new position. The blade's weight faded until it had disappeared completely. I hesitated at first, but I opened my eyes to behold what I had done.

Hades was resting on his throne still, appearing unharmed for the most part. He held _Kardiabisma_ up in the air so that all in the room, or me and the guards anyway, could see it. I looked at the blade for a long moment before realizing what had happened. I had actually pulled it off. Somehow, with just a little bit of practice, I had managed to send the blade into Hades' hand. I watched the blade intently for a long time and marveled at what else I might be able to accomplish with this gift.

"Very good,' Hades said with a smile, "I expected it to take much longer than this." He looked at Heartstopper and then back at me. "Now," he said as he lowered the blade, "Why don't you try to take it back."

I began to step forward, but then I realized what he had meant. I wasn't supposed to actually take it from him. I looked down at my open hands and thought back to what had happened a moment ago. It was fine for Hades to be stabbed by it, but there was no way that I would survive something like that. I looked back up at Hades. I could tell that nothing was going to change his methods. He was going to force me to see this through to the end.

I looked at my hands again and began to concentrate. I closed my eyes and imagined the blade resting in my open palm once again. I willed the shadows to form a shade around Heartstopper. Then I heard…something. I opened my eyes expecting to see the blade flying at me. What I saw was the outline of it floating in the air before me. It was a dark outline of the sword that shimmered at the edges almost like it was made out of pure darkness. I reached out and grabbed the pommel of Heartstopper. It gained a physical form at my touch and I was holding it once again.

"Impressive," Hades said regaining his smile, "I never would have imagined that you would get this far in so short a time."

I looked up at him. What was that I was feeling, pride? For once I was actually being praised by someone for my accomplishment. It wasn't just anyone either, it was a god, the god of death, my father. Maybe this was what it felt like to have a real family? Maybe this is what it felt like to be a son?

"Now turn away and try it again," Hades said losing his smile.

I did as he told me to. I knew that there was no way to convince him to halt my training or to give me time to rest. I was starting to get pretty exhausted, but I wasn't quite ready to stop either. I wanted to learn everything that I could about my powers, about myself, and about my father. If I could pull off whatever it was that he wanted me to do, then maybe we could be a family afterwards…and Emily too.

The night went on like that. I was put through a number of drills similar to the first. I had to send my sword to Hades and bring it back a number of times. I managed to do it right most of the time, but I also sent Heartstopper flying into a number of the guards in the room. After that, I had to send the sword to places that I remembered from my past, my room at the orphanage, the alleyway, and a number of other places, and then bring it back again. I don't' know how Hades knew whether I succeeded or not, but he did somehow. Luckily I only failed twice.

When Hades decided that I had enough shadow travel training, he had me spar with the guards using Heartstopper. I was horrible at first. I couldn't even last more than a few seconds against one of them, not unless I used my powers as well. I improved quickly though. It wasn't long before I was defeating two or three of the guards at a time. I don't know how long I spent with the sparring, but Hades stopped it after what felt like hours and moved on to teaching me about the world that I had never seen.

He taught me about all sorts of crazy things, like the mist. The mist was this strange…well, thing that kept mortals from seeing all of the monsters and other stuff that went on in the demigod world. It masked all of the strange happenings by showing mortals something that they could understand. Hades even showed me some events from a mortal's eyes. I saw myself in Albany running from what should have been a group of hellhounds, but what was instead a group of harmless puppies. It was a funny sight, seeing myself screaming in terror as three cute little puppies closed in on me. I almost laughed at the scene…until I remembered what had really happened.

Hades also showed me how mortals saw me when I was riding Elice through the streets. In short, I was basically invisible. Other times, I was seen as a man riding a large horse or sometimes as a streak of light that appeared for only a few seconds and then disappeared. Whatever the mortals saw, it didn't matter to me so long as they didn't cause me any trouble. Knowing this meant that I could be seen with Elice safely, without fear of anyone harassing me over my oversized dog.

The training ended there though. Hades taught me a lot about monsters, like how their injuries can heal in a matter of hours, or even seconds in some cases. He also taught me about the other gods and about Olympus and where it was located and how to get their, if I ever needed to that is. Would you believe me if I told you that the top of a mountain is hovering above the Empire State Building right now, and that the only way to get there is with special permission and by one of the building's elevators? No? I didn't think so. I marveled at what it might look like if I ever got to go their, but Hades told me to never do so. I had to remain a secret for now.

I woke up that morning to the blazing heat of the sun. The first thing I did was grip the pommel of Heartstopper in my hand. It was there. Everything that happened really was true. I sat up and looked around for Elice. She was now standing up, the makeshift splint nowhere to be found, and was running around our little campsite as if her leg had never been broken. I watched her until she stopped and walked over to me.

"You ready girl," I asked.

She yelped at me in response, but I guessed that meant yes. She leaned down so that I could climb on her back and I did so without question. She sped off and up the eastern coast of the United States. I tried to carry Heartstopper with me, I was reluctant to let go of it, but soon found that Hades was right. There was no way that I would be able to carry it with me all the time. Instead, I pictured it in a new resting place and it disappeared from sight. I didn't know if I had sent it to the right place, but it didn't matter. I only hoped that I would be able to bring it back when I needed it.

The day wore on into the night, but Elice never stopped once. She must have been hot on Emily's trail because she was running faster than ever. I guess that even monsters need to sleep too though. She stopped in a large field, out in the middle of nowhere, and lay down in the grass. I couldn't argue with her at that point. I was getting tired too after all.

"We meet again," Hades said as I appeared in his throne room.

I looked up at him. I wasn't surprised really. I knew that he would drag me back there again very soon. I was still an amateur when it came to my sword skills and I was still unable to summon monsters, save for Elice, unless I was in immediate danger. I looked around the room and saw the skeletal guards surrounding me. They were different this time though. Well, actually, they were all the same, but they were different than the ones that were their last time. Each of them wore a full set of Greek armor and they were all holding bronze short swords.

I made to greet Hades, but one of the guards attacked me before I could. I was thrown off guard and nearly lost my balance completely, but I managed to evade the initial attack. The guard turned and swung at me again. I was able to dodge him again, but I was in a losing fight. I needed a weapon. I avoided the guard a third time and began to concentrate. I pictured my sword being in my hand. The shadows converged in front of me and formed Heartstopper's outline. I grabbed its pommel and it became solid just in time for me to block the guard's sword. I spun around the guard's defense and stabbed him through the chest. He was a pile of dust within seconds.

I looked up at Hades as the sound of his clapping filled the room. "Excellent," he said, "To bring your sword out in the heat of battle, and from so great a distance? Simply excellent."

There it was again, the praise that I had so longed for throughout my entire life. It was a strange feeling really. No one had ever praised any of my accomplishments, not that I had very many. At the orphanage, no one had ever paid any attention to me, except for Emily of course, but it felt different when it came from her; coming from a god though, coming from my father, these words of praise felt…right.

"Thank you Had…" I began to say before stopping myself, "Father."

My lips curved into a smile at the sound of the word. It felt nice to call someone father. Was I angry that he abandoned me? You could say that I was, anyone would be, but I could understand his reasons. Was I angry that my mother was dead? Of course, some might try to tell me that it was Hades' fault, but I didn't think so. In truth, I did have some hostile feelings towards him, but, right now, I was just glad that I had a father.

"Do not thank me yet," Hades said, his smile and the sound of his praise fading from the room, "You can thank me when your training has concluded."

My training resumed as it had from the previous night. I went through a lot of the same drills, transporting Heartstopper to various locations, attempting to contact various monsters, which I was beginning to become quite adept at, and sparring with the guards. Father also had me go through what he called, "real-time situations," in which I had to summon my sword while I was under attack. I was getting better. I was getting stronger. After just two days, I could hold my own in a real fight.

"Enough," Hades said after I finished off another one of his skeletal guards.

A second guard was approaching me and preparing to engage in another battle, but he stopped. I held Heartstopper and was ready to intercept the next attack, but I quickly gathered my wits. I concentrated and watched as Heartstopper disappeared to begin its journey back to its hiding place. You might wonder where that would be. I thought it would be best if I hid it in the alleyway where Emily and I had lived for several months. It was a place that I knew well and that few people would go into. Plus, if I always had to picture the place then I would never forget about it.

"I think you have had enough swordplay for today," Hades said. I gave a nod in response. I hoped that he was going to continue his lessons on Greek mythology where he had left off yesterday, but I soon found that to be untrue. "We should practice shadow travel again."

"Why," I asked. I saw the flames ignite in Hades' eyes again like he did when he was angry. I knew that I had spoken out of turn, but I didn't want to practice that skill anymore. Not when I was already proficient at it. "I already know what I'm doing," I said, "What more could I possibly need to know?"

Hades scowled at me. "You know how to move your sword around," he said, "But you have yet to learn how to move yourself around."

I looked at my father for some time after that. I hadn't expected him to proceed my training so quickly. It was only a day ago that I had learned how to move my sword through shadow travel, but to move myself was a whole different story. It was dangerous, more so anyway. I could trap myself in some barren wasteland where I could never escape. I could accidentally throw myself into the River Styx, not the best of ways to go from what I was told. Heck, I could even end up trapped in the shadow world and be unable to escape.

"Isn't that dangerous," I said, "You said it yourself. Shouldn't I practice with something bigger than my sword before I start trying to move myself around?"

"It is," Hades said, "But you will never learn without practice. Besides, you will only be traveling short distances today. If anything goes wrong, I will be able to fix it."

I soundlessly confirmed my agreement with Hades. I was scared of what might happen to me, but I felt safe as long as I was there. Hades said that he would protect me from anything that might go wrong and I was willing to believe him, even if he was the god of death. He was family, and if I couldn't trust family, then who could I really trust.

Hades looked down at me seeming to inspect my demeanor. "It is easy," he said after a moment, "As simple as transporting Heartstopper. You must simply imagine where you want to be, then bring the shadows in around you and they will perform the task for you." He paused for a moment. "Today, you will be moving to a position that you can see clearly, it should not be difficult."

I looked up at him and nodded again, "I'm ready."

"Good," Hades said, "Now, shadow travel to the foot of my throne."

I stood there and stared at the spot. I closed my eyes and imagined myself standing there. The shadows converged around me. Nothing happened. As best as I could guess, I had done something wrong. I started to open my eyes, but then I felt a strange force pulling me downward. Before I knew it, I was sinking into the ground as if it had turned to quicksand beneath my feet. My eyes shot open and I struggled to escape, but it was no use. Within seconds, I had sunk completely into the earth.

It was cold, and it was dark. I couldn't even see. I had always been able to see perfectly in the dark, but for once, I was blind. And I was scared. I had never known what being left in the dark really meant, but I learned it then. Losing the ability to see was…frustrating. I didn't know where I was, I didn't know what was there, and I didn't know how to get out. It was the first time I had ever truly experienced fear.

I was floating in a realm of nothing. I didn't move and I couldn't hear anything. I figured that I was going to die there. Then I had the greatest experience of my life. I shot forward without warning and was traveling through darkness at a speed that I imagined was equivalent to the speed of light. To describe what it felt like would be impossible. It was like riding a roller coaster, except you can't see where you're going…and you're traveling at the speed of light…which is much faster than a normal roller coaster would go.

I loved the feeling. A moment of feeling trapped had abruptly become a moment of feeling free. A moment that I hoped would end quickly had become a moment that I hoped would never end. Just as I was starting to enjoy myself though, the shadows around me began to melt away and form a new scene. I was back in Hades' throne room, except that now I was at the foot of his throne, right where he had wanted me to go.

I was amazed that I had actually done it right on the first try. I was about to give myself a round of applause when I realized that something had gone wrong. I was in the right place. That much was true. What wasn't true was that I was not standing in the right place. In fact, I was actually being flung forward faster than Elice would have been able to run after me. I shot towards a wall on the far end of the room. I quickly used my powers to create a shield between myself and the wall that stopped me from hitting it. Of course, I still had to hit the shield, which wasn't exactly a soft landing. Regardless, it still stopped me from dying a horrible wall related death.

I stood up and dusted myself off. "Well," I said, "That was unpleasant."

Hades scowled at me from his throne. I knew what he was thinking. Clearly, he had not found my sarcasm very humorous. I stepped forward and began to apologize, but I didn't get very far. Before I could even take the first step, my head began to feel weightless. The room around me started spinning and I started to get dizzy. I fell down to one knee and felt like I was going to throw up. I lay down on the ground and the dizziness began to subside. I laid there motionless for a time until the room had finally stopped spinning. I managed to get back onto my feet.

"Not the result I wanted," Hades said.

I looked up and addressed him…I think. Either I was seeing double or there were two of him now. "What the heck happened?"

"What do you think," Hades asked, "You failed."

"I realize that," I said, "But why do I feel so weak?"

Hades stared at me for a moment. "I told you that this would drain a lot of your energy at first," he said, "Are you surprised that you feel this way?"

"A little bit," I retorted, "You said that traveling short distances wouldn't be much trouble. Plus, I thought it was supposed to be easier when I was in a dark place."

"Yes," Hades said, "And both are true."

"Then what in the world happened to me?"

"It was your first attempt at shadow travel," he said, "You have yet to learn how to manage how much energy you put into it."

"Then why didn't this happen when I summoned Heartstopper," I asked, "I never felt like this during those trials."

"Heartstopper has its own store of energy," Hades said, "It feeds off of darkness and it gives you that energy when you summon it. When you yourself shadow travel, there is nothing other than you to feed off of."

I tried to step forward again, but my legs refused to move. Though my dizzy spell had subsided, I was still too weak to do much of anything. I sat down and stared at the wall that had nearly killed me. How was this skill supposed to be useful anyway? If it was going to drain me when I traveled such a short distance then how was I supposed to make use of it? It was more likely to get me killed than anything else.

Hades looked down at me from his throne. His eyes began to glow as the flames ignited once again. "What are you doing," he asked.

"There's nothing more that can be done," I said, "I'm too weak to move."

"Fool," Hades said. His eyes grew brighter and his voice echoed throughout the room. "There is and infinite store of energy all around you. You simply must make use of it."

I looked up at him in confusion. "What energy," I asked.

"The darkness," Hades responded, "You can make use of it. Draw the darkness into your body. You can turn it into energy to rejuvenate yourself."

"How?"

"You know how."

I stood up and stared at him. I was going to snap at him because I didn't know what he was talking about. His eyes were glowing brighter than ever, though his face still remained within shadow. I stopped myself from saying anything. If I snapped at him now, it would only make him angry, which would have ended badly for me. There was no reason to have a heated god trying to kill me.

I calmed myself down and began breathing deeply. I wasn't sure how this ability was supposed to work, but I thought back on everything that I had learned. Surely there was something that could point me in the right direction. I drew the shadows in around me. _Draw the darkness into your body_. I breathed slowly and commanded the shadows. I closed my eyes and began to feel a rush of energy surging through me. My light-headedness dispersed entirely, my arms stopped shaking, and my legs stopped hurting. I felt better than ever.

I opened my eyes and looked at Hades again. The flames had disappeared from his eyes and his scowl had been replaced by a smile. I couldn't help feeling proud of myself again. It seemed like no matter how many times I messed up, there was always someway to redeem myself.

"Good," Hades said sounding satisfied, "Now try shadow traveling again."

I did as he asked without question. I began the shadow travel process from the start. I felt confident in myself this time. I knew that I would be able to do it. The problem was that I failed again…and again…and again. No matter how many times I tried it, I just couldn't get it right. If I wasn't ending up in the wrong place, then I was throwing myself into the walls again. I even got trapped in the shadow world a couple of times. Luckily, Hades was able to get me out, but that didn't change the fact that those were some the scariest experiences of my life.

The one good thing about it was that I was getting good at controlling my energy flow. I would come out of the shadow world and barely feel like I had lost any energy at all. It got to the point that I wouldn't feel any different after traveling a short distance. Though I continued to fail over and over again, I could tell that I was improving. I knew that I would master it eventually. I just needed some time to perfect it.

The night was growing old when Hades stopped the shadow travel trials. That was when the part that I looked forward to started. Hades went on about the Greek myths and the world of the gods and demigods. He told me about his brothers on Olympus and about the other Olympians as well. Some of them sounded interesting, others sounded boring, but one thing was true about all of them. Hades hated them. He never said it directly, but it was obvious from the way that he spoke of them that he held great hostilities toward them.

My mind wondered back to the great prophecy that Hades had spoke of when we first met. There was something about it that involved me in some way. I wondered what my role was. Hades said that I may have been just what he needed. What did that mean? My head swirled with so many questions about it. The way that Hades talked about the other gods, the hatred that he held for them, it could be a hint. Could the prophecy be a way for Hades to destroy them? Was it possible that I was the key to destroying the gods?


	4. Chapter 4

**-Manhunt-**

* * *

I woke up early the next morning. I tried to get my thoughts from the previous night out of my head. The idea that I might be a weapon to destroy the gods, well, it scared me. And then there was my father. It was entirely possible that he was only trying to use me. I didn't want to believe it. I wanted to believe that he was training me because he cared about me, but the evidence was all there in front of me.

Elice yelped at me as I sat staring at the ground. I patted her on the head as I stood up. "Come on, girl," I said, "Let's get moving."

The weeks passed by uneventfully. The only things that I had to look forward to were my nightly training sessions with my father and those only brought on more disturbing thoughts. Elice went for weeks at a time without food or water and when we did stop it was only for an hour or two at a time. Elice didn't like staying in one place for too long. The only time we stopped for an extended period was Washington D.C. and that was a mistake.

I sat on a set of stairs and looked out across Tidal Basin at the city beyond it. I had read a lot about Washington D.C., but I never imagined that I would ever get to see it in person. At the edge of the water, Elice stood leaning over it and was lapping water into her mouth. It had been a week since she had last stopped to drink or eat anything. It still amazed me how she could accomplish such a thing. As for me, I had to get by on whatever I could find, I even had to steal food to get by sometimes. It didn't bother me as much as it used to, being out of the city for a month brought on more than a few changes.

Behind me stood the Thomas Jefferson Memorial which cast a long shadow over me. A constant stream of people moved across the area in front of it, some of them stopping to look at the boy sitting alone in front of the monument, but none of them taking more than a second to do so. Not many people ever paid any attention to me. Most of them just ignored me, probably feeling like they would be obligated to help me if they acknowledged my existence. The few that didn't overlook me were the ones that saw Elice. Even though they were seeing a dog because of the mist, she would usually manage to scare them away.

Across the basin, the Washington Monument towered over the city, stretching into the sky like some kind of divine hand reaching into the heavens from the earth. I stared at the top of the monument intently. It was something that I had always wanted to see, the view from the top of the monument I mean. Something about being up that high, the feeling of being on top of the world, the idea of it was nostalgic. That was the best part of living in the attic at the orphanage. Even if I wasn't in the highest building, I was still above all of the other kids that lived there.

I felt a nudge on my arm. I looked down at Elice, who was pushing her head against me as if to say, "Come on, it's time to go." I patted her on the head. I wasn't ready to leave yet, but Elice hated staying in one place for too long. My father was the same way. He told me that if I stayed in one place for a long time then monsters would pick up on my scent and would be on my trail in no time. He said that I was too powerful to remain still, that I could have an army of monsters after me within minutes if I wasn't careful. I thought that he was over-exaggerating. I wasn't all that strong. That was what I thought anyway.

The training sessions with my father were becoming less frequent recently. He said that it was because of my fast improvement. It had only been a month and I had already mastered shadow travel, which was apparently due to the fact that I was born with that talent. Not only that, but I had also become an adept swordsman. I still wasn't good enough to face Hades, but I was improving fast. I had also become adept at calling monsters to help me.

At the end of my last training, my father started teaching me about another one of my powers as well. This new power was the ability to control the minerals of the earth, to manipulate them to my will. It was similar to the way that I could manipulate shadows. The difference was that shadows are not solid like minerals, which makes them easier to manipulate. I wasn't any good at it, not yet anyway, but that only meant that the sessions would continue and I would be able to see my father more.

Elice continued to nudge my arm, but more violently now. Something was bothering her. It wasn't just the fact that we had been standing around for too long, she was sensing something. A monster must have been close by.

It may not have been a good idea, but I wasn't ready to leave, not yet. Besides, Hades said that I needed to get some real world experience if I ever wanted to improve my swordplay anymore. A fight with a real monster was the perfect chance to test that theory.

I stood up and patted Elice's head again. "Don't worry girl," I said, "I'll be alright."

I began to walk around the basin towards the Lincoln Memorial, but Elice refused to let me go. She jumped in front of me and blocked my path. "I'll be okay," I said again, but Elice didn't want to listen to me. She walked up to me and began nudging at my arm again like she was trying to turn me around. With her strength, she could have easily pushed me in the other direction.

"Stop it," I said, and she did. I didn't like to use this power on Elice, but sometimes it became necessary. Being a son of the Underworld, I was able to control monsters, no matter how strong they had to listen to me. The only withdraw of it was that it took some of my own strength for me to have power over them, the stronger they were, the more energy it took to control them. It wasn't hard to control Elice though, not because she was weak, only because she didn't try to resist me.

Elice sat down and stared at me. "Stay," I said like I was scolding a dog.

I walked around Elice as she watched me go. I could see the worry in her eyes. She was warning me, I knew that I should have listened to her, but there was no way that I would ever get a chance like this again. Elice curled up into a ball as she lay down on the ground. I felt bad, using my powers on her, and for something so stupid. She began whining as I walked away from her. It was kind of heartbreaking in a way even though I knew that she was just trying to guilt me into listening to her.

I reached the other side of the basin and the World War II Memorial. On the street in front of me, an endless stream of cars, busses and other vehicles flowed up and down the road. On the other side stood the memorial, fifty-six granite pillars built in a circle around a fountain with each of the pillars adorned with a laurel at the top. Two arches were built at the flanks of the fountain and on the opposite side of the fountain was a wall about ten feet high that was covered in gold stars. The entrance of the memorial was flanked on either side by bronze panels that depicted life during the war. I stood staring at the memorial in awe. I had never seen anything so impressive, not in person anyway.

The memorial was built to commemorate one of the bloodiest wars the world had ever seen. My father told me that many of the soldiers that fought in the war were demigods like me. He also said that the war itself was fought between his children and those of his brothers and that it lead to the three of them signing a treaty that forbid them from ever having children. Well, that combined with the supposed prophecy that he keeps talking about. Anyway, the war was, more or less, the reason that Zeus would kill me if he ever knew of my existence.

Beyond the war memorial was the famous reflecting pool. Almost half a mile of water that stretched from the war memorial over to the Lincoln Memorial. Hades had told me that most of the U.S. presidents were demigods and that included Lincoln himself. It amazed me that there were so many demigods that had lived among mortals like they were totally normal humans. I guess it shouldn't strike me as being that astonishing though. I lived with mortals for twelve years and no one ever knew the difference…not even me.

I turned my attention away from the two memorials. While the two of them were impressive, they weren't the reason that I wanted to stay longer. Behind me stood the real reason that I wanted to be in D.C., the Washington Monument. Like I said before, many of the United States presidents were demigods, and General Washington was probably one of the most well known. The monument seemed appropriate for him considering its height. After all, Washington was a son of Zeus.

As I looked on at the monument, I saw a number of men wearing black suits around the grounds. Now, being in Washington D.C., there were a lot of guys walking around in business suits, but these guys were different. For one, they were all wearing a pair of sunglasses, which wasn't strange by any means since it was the middle of the day. Well, it wouldn't have been if it wasn't November. The other strange part about them was that they were all wearing the same exact suit. It was clear that these men were acting as some kind of security.

In the very front of the monument, a few feet away from it, was a group of people, all of which were of varying ages. The majority of them were looking around the grounds. Some were taking pictures while others were simply admiring the scenery. The ones that were not looking around were listening to a woman who was standing in front of the crowd and facing away from the monument. From what I could determine, I was looking at a tour group.

I took one of the two walkways on either side of me. It was one of many that surrounded the monument and lead to the inner walkways, which formed a sort of circular shape around the monument that probably would have looked like a deformed eye if you looked at it from above. Well, a deformed eye with a massive spike-like object sticking out of it like someone had tried to blind the person the eye belonged to.

I reached the inner walkways and walked around the monument as if I were admiring its beauty. I passed a small building when I reached the far side that appeared to be some kind of information center.

As I walked, I noticed that everywhere I went at least one of the men in black suits was watching me. They were trying to hide it. They watched me from behind their sunglasses, but no amount of darkness could conceal any secret from me. One of the men began to follow me at a distance, keeping a close eye on me. I guess that a twelve year old alone in a city like D.C. was a little bit suspicious.

I had to disappear fast. I walked at a quicker pace, but still looking as if I was just strolling casually. The man that was following me matched my pace. I approached the shadow of the monument and began to draw the darkness towards me. The minute that I entered the shadow of the building, a shade was pulled around me and I disappeared within the blink of an eye.

I continued forward, but I looked back at the man that had been following me. He tried to hide his surprise, but I could tell that he was trying to figure out what had just happened. He jogged over to the spot where I had disappeared and inspected the area. After a moment, he shrugged his shoulders and then began speaking to someone, probably over a radio, but there was no way to tell what he had said. I smiled and began a leisurely stroll towards the entrance of the Washington Monument.

I saw a man in the tour group pointing to the spot where I had disappeared and saying something to the girl next to him about how he could swear he saw someone walking along the path a minute ago. Next to him was another man, a much larger, much scarier looking man. He stood over six feet and had broad shoulders and a muscular build. He was wearing a blood red shirt that said something like, Hnwau Wutiloiou. Okay, so that probably isn't anywhere close to what it said, but I'll get back to that. Anyway, his shirt had a rather gory looking scene on it that I would rather not describe. The man also wore a pair of blue jeans and light brown working boots.

Okay, so about the Hnwau Wutiloiou thing, I should probably mention that I have dyslexia and ADHD. I never found out while I was at the orphanage. They did educate us, to the lowest degree possible, but they never mentioned anything about me having either of those disorders. It's true that I read a few books while I was there, and I did have trouble getting through even the simplest ones, but I always attributed the problem to my lack of good education. Hades was the one that told me about the disorders. He didn't need to know about my inability to read or lack of ability to sit still for more than a few seconds because all demigods had both disorders. The ADHD was our natural battle senses and dyslexia was caused by the fact that our brains were hardwired to read Ancient Greek, not English.

So yeah…anyway, the big guy was kind of intimidating, but there was something that seemed strange about him. I don't know what it was, but he gave me an uneasy feeling. Not only that, but he kept staring in my direction wearing a big toothy grin like he could see me. The last time I was seen while hidden in the shadows was…no, I couldn't think about that. Nothing bad was going to happen. I had to force myself to look away from the guy, but I managed to keep my mind off of him. It was strange, but, just for a second, as I was looking away from the man I thought it looked like he only had one eye. It must have been a trick of the light.

I made my way passed the tour group and listened to the girl at the front, who must have been a tour guide, as I entered the monument. She was telling the people in the group about the history and construction of the monument. It was all really interesting, but there was no way that I could listen to something like that for too long. I guess if you're into that kind of thing then it's actually bearable.

I entered the lobby of the monument. The inside of the monument was a marble hallway used as a waiting area. On the floor was a mosaic design that depicted a laurel surrounding a badge shape that was colored like the American flag. Another part of the floor showed a laurel that surrounded the words: first in war first in peace.

I walked through the waiting area until I reached a room that had a single elevator. On the way to the elevator, I saw a bronze statue of Washington himself. The statue was in a part of the hall that was blocked off and it was far enough away that it was out of the arms length of even the tallest man. Above the elevator was a bas-relief of Washington.

I stood and stared at the bronze colored doors of the elevator when I heard the sound of footsteps from the waiting area. I moved to the side quickly so that no one would bump into me. The group of people that had been outside, which, unfortunately, included the scary looking man, filed into the room. I had to adjust myself several times to avoid the mortals, but I managed. After a moment, the tour guide forced her way to the front of the group and pressed a button next to the doors. The elevator doors opened and the people moved into the elevator. Once it was full, the tour guide hit another button and the doors began to close. I barely made it into the elevator without getting squashed.

I felt the elevator shift without warning as it began to move up the monument. The tour guide said that it would take about seventy seconds to reach the top. On the way, she started talking about the construction of the top of the monument and the placing of the capstone. I lost interest in all that after about five seconds.

The whole elevator ride, I kept catching the big scary man looking over at me. Whenever I wasn't watching him, he would look over at me until I looked back at him. At that point, he would turn his head away from me and feign cluelessness. Up close, the man was even creepier looking. His teeth showed that he cared little for personal hygiene and his nappy bed head showed that he cared even less than that. His nose appeared to be broken like he got into a lot of fights and that was everyone's favorite place to punch him. His eyes, I mean eye, or…well this was confusing. When I looked at him from the side, he appeared to have two normal brown eyes, but when I looked directly at him, his two eyes looked like they were trying to come together to form one big eye. Whatever I was seeing, something was definitely wrong with this guy.

We reached the top floor of the monument and the doors opened to reveal a small observation deck. The room was large enough to hold everyone, but just barely. There were eight windows in all, four on each wall, a few of which had a step below it for kids to see out of the window. The walls curved up in a pyramid shape until there was about a foot of room in the top of the ceiling, which was about ten feet high.

The mortals began moving out of the elevator and into the room. I walked into the observation deck after all of the mortals were cleared out of the elevator. By that time, everyone was crowded around one of the eight windows. Even the big guy was looking out at the view of the city. There was no room for me to get to any of the windows. I thought about waiting for the people to clear away, but I didn't want to wait. I had already spent too much time in the city and I wanted to get out of there soon.

I went to one of the windows, one that had the least amount of people in front of it. Unfortunately, it was also the window that the big guy had chosen to use. Actually, he was the only one at that window. I guess I wasn't the only one that got a bad vibe from him. When I approached the window, the big guy glanced back at me, but only for a second. Otherwise, he didn't seem to notice me at all. Maybe he was just a regular mortal and he had no idea that I was there. Maybe he just kept hearing me when I was walking and kept looking back to see if someone was there.

I got up on the step, since I was at one of the windows that had one. The view from the observation deck was breathtaking. I saw the whole north side of the city. Nestled in some trees on the ground in front of me was the White House, the home of the current president. Beyond the White House was a jumble of buildings as far as I could see. Each one was taller than the one in front of it. I don't think I've ever seen quite a thing in my life.

"View is pretty from up here," the guy next to me said.

I looked over at him. He was staring out of the window at the view. I don't know who he was talking to, himself maybe, but he was starting to really scare me. I turned back to looking out at the view, but I was getting uncomfortable. No matter how much I wanted to stay there, I knew that I had to leave.

I turned and stepped down from the stairs in front of the window. That was when I realized that something was definitely wrong. When I had looked out of the window, the room had been full of mortals. Now, there wasn't a single person up there. The only ones there were me and the scary guy behind me.

I moved as fast as I could towards the elevator, but I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard the man speak again. "Doesn't demigod like the view," the man asked, "View is pretty."

I turned and looked at the man. He was staring right at me. It was clear now. He only had one single eye, one big brown eye that was focused on me and only me. I was sure that this man was no mortal. And he just called me a demigod.

_Crap_, I thought, _he's a monster_!

I ran for the elevator. Before I could take a step, I felt the monster grab me by the collar of my shirt. The minute he touched me, the shade dispersed. I was now completely visible. The monster lifted me off of the ground and held me up in front of him. His one big eye looked me up and down like he was inspecting the quality of a piece of meat. Knowing how monsters thought, that was probably exactly what he was doing.

"Demigod is scrawny," the monster said, "But he has much power."

I punched and kicked at the monster, but he held me at a distance so that I couldn't reach him. I hated being like this. I couldn't stand it when I felt so helpless. It was just like what happened when I ran away from the orphanage, and when Emily disappeared. I couldn't do anything.

But it wasn't the same. I was stronger now. I could get out of this.

"Feisty," The monster observed, "May be scrawny, but active demigod best for eating."

I ignored the monster and concentrated on the shadows. It was harder to use my powers during the day, but the inside of the building wasn't very bright, which made it a little bit easier on me. I formed the darkness around me into a shade. Behind the monster, a swirling mass of darkness began to form and move towards him.

"Time to cook dinner," the monster said.

"Cook this," I told him.

I willed the darkness to move forward. It hit the monster hard and he stumbled forward. He let go of me and I rolled over the ground so that I was behind him. The monster fell over and slammed into the ground face first. The room shook as the monster fell over. I couldn't imagine what his nose must have looked like after that.

I didn't waste any time. I jumped over the Cyclops and sprinted towards the elevator. I started hitting the button frantically, hoping that it might make the elevator move faster. Behind me, the Cyclops began stirring. He let out a frustrated groan as he began to move around. I hit the button more and more frantically until I finally heard the sound of the elevator reaching the observation deck.

The doors opened and I jumped into the elevator as soon as the gap was wide enough. I hit the button inside and the door began to close. I just had enough time to see the Cyclops looking up at me with a big bewildered eye. "Dinner is escaping," he bellowed as the door closed shut.

I slouched against the back of the elevator and let myself slide down into a sitting position. I let out a sigh of relief and listened to the hum of the machine's gears.

While I was there, I concentrated as hard as I could. I felt my consciousness reaching out to the world around me like a snake moving through its tunnels. I felt the touch of Elice's mind. It's hard to explain how communicating with Elice through my consciousness feels. I don't exactly talk to her, not in any normal sense. Instead, we communicate by feeling each other's emotions. As I touched Elice's mind, a sense of wonder came over me. I don't know what she was doing, but the feeling passed soon and was replaced by a strong worry. I knew that she was on her way so I let my consciousness recede.

A loud _ping_ sounded in the elevator to let me know that I had reached the bottom floor. The door opened and I dashed out, much to the surprise of the next tour group waiting to go up. I pushed through the people in the lobby, ignoring the many slurs that they yelled at me as I shoved them out of the way.

I bolted out of the monument in a frenzied sprint. I didn't stop until I made it to the walkway surrounding it. I pushed my hands against my knees and leaned over. I began to breathe heavily. I hadn't realized how fast I had been running until I stopped. I tried to look around, to figure out what I should do next, but I couldn't move my neck and my thoughts were so clouded that all I could think about was how tired I was.

When my breathing finally slowed to a steady pace, I lifted my head up and searched the park for Elice. She was nowhere in sight. She was a good distance away, but she was fast enough that she should have arrived at any moment. There she was, running towards me, faster than any dog.

I started walking towards Elice, but then I felt the ground begin to shake. I stopped, and so did Elice. We both looked up towards the monument. The shaking came in shockwaves, like someone was hitting a gigantic drum and the vibrations were causing mini earthquakes. Even the mortals were looking around with fear in their eyes.

The shaking became more and more intense with each passing moment. I watched as the center of the monument shattered apart sending rubble raining down on the people below. One massive earthquake caused me to fall backwards and sit on the ground. The Cyclops that attacked me was falling from the sky straight towards me. "Dinner cannot escape me," the Cyclops yelled as he plummeted towards the earth.

I stood up and started running. Ahead of me, Elice sped up to her max speed, but she was still too far to get to me in time to help. I closed my eyes and started running as fast as my legs would carry me. That was when I heard Elice's yelp.

I turned my head and saw a massive piece of rubble falling right over me. There was no time to avoid it, I only had one chance. I closed my eyes and focused on an image, the image of a blade resting in my hands. I felt a tug in my stomach and something solid began to take form in my hands. I gripped the object and opened my eyes. I was now holding the full form of my sword, _Kardiabisma_, Heartstopper.

I turned around and swung Heartstopper at the piece of rubble. Luckily, though it was still a large piece, it was small enough that my sword was able to slice it in half. The rubble split into two pieces, each of which smashed into the ground on either side of me. I gripped Heartstopper with both hands and held it at a ready position. Elice appeared at my side and the two of us stood prepared to take on the Cyclops.

I always felt stronger when I held my sword. At first, I had attributed the feeling to the confidence that came with the possession of a weapon. However, after I had told him about the feeling, my father explained to me that the sword was magic. The magic in the sword enhanced my shadow manipulation making it easier to use and increasing its power.

I watched as the Cyclops hit the ground several feet in front of me and landed standing up on his feet. I had hoped that the fall would be enough to kill him, but of course it wasn't. I could never be that lucky. The ground shook in a more violent earthquake than any of the previous shockwaves that the monster had caused. I stumbled back, but I managed to keep my footing. The monster looked on at me and my hellhound even as we looked back at him.

The Cyclops lifted up a piece of rubble next to him and tossed it at us. Elice and I dodged, the two of us running in two different directions, and the piece of rubble smashed into the dirt. I fell forward, but caught my footing in time to see Elice charging at the Cyclops at top speed. I didn't think that it was the best idea, but I couldn't let Elice attack alone. I charged at the Cyclops from the other side.

Elice reached the monster before I could even close half the distance between me and the Cyclops. She jumped at him, her jaws opened. Before she got a chance to bite him, the Cyclops swung his arm and hit Elice with his back hand. Elice let out a painful yelp as she hit the ground and went skirting across it.

"Elice," I yelled.

I picked up speed and closed the remaining distance in a matter of seconds. The Cyclops threw a punch at me that would've crushed me, but I managed to step out of the way. I tried to slash at the monster's wrist. Before my blade could connect, the Cyclops hit me with the back of his free hand. He didn't get much force behind the hit so he only managed to push me away from him.

I tried to hack at the monster again. Unfortunately, he had recovered from punching the ground and made an attempt to crush me under foot. I dove out of the way as grass, dirt, and rock were thrown into the air around me. I rolled over the ground, stood up, and stabbed at the Cyclops's ankle. The monster let out a pain filled scream as Heartstopper pierced right through his lower leg.

I pulled my sword from the Cyclops and stepped away from him. He reached down and grabbed at the wound in his leg. I wasn't even thinking as I turned around. I thought that cut would be enough to kill him. After all, most of the monsters I had fought went down after being bitten by Elice, why shouldn't one go down from a stab wound. I guess it never crossed my mind that a monster this large would be harder to kill.

As I turned, I felt something similar to a rock strike me on the side. Before I knew it, I was in the air flying back towards the Washington Monument. I slammed into the marble of the building and nearly blacked out at impact. I fell to the ground and sat there trying to make sense of the blurred scene in front of me. As far as I could guess, I was about to die.

I shook my head as my vision cleared. I saw the Cyclops walking towards me slowly, a hint of pride showing on his face. I knew that I needed to get out of there, but I wasn't thinking fast enough. The monster snatched me up as I tried to scramble to my feet. With his one large hand wrapped around my waist, I wasn't going anywhere.

The monster lifted me to eye level and stared at me. I struggled to break free of his grip, but he was way too strong for me. "Fight with demigod is fun," the Cyclops laughed, "Work up big appetite."

I kicked and punched at the monster, but nothing connected. I couldn't believe that after everything I had been through I was going to die as some overgrown beast's dinner. I mean, weren't demigods supposed to have epic tales that ended with an honorable death or by being cursed by some angry god. Something like that I would have been okay with, but this? There was no way that I was letting it end this way. That was when I remembered something. I still had my sword.

I lifted Heartstopper and stabbed down at the monster's elbow. The blade connected and cut into his arm. The Cyclops cried out in pain and let go of me. I fell to the ground, but the monster was still too close to me. I concentrated and used the shadow of the monument to form two shades around each of my arms. I willed them forward and they slammed into the monster forcing him to go airborne. The Cyclops flew through the air and crashed into the ground a good twenty feet away from me. A cloud of dust and debris was thrown into the air.

That had to be it. There was no way that anything could have survived all of that. I watched as the cloud of dust disappeared. Standing in the center of a crater was the Cyclops…and he looked angry.

I punched the marble wall behind me. How could that thing survive all of that punishment?

I was going to need something harder to kill this thing, something stronger, something…bigger. I rubbed my hand against the monument. I looked up at it and a thought occurred to me. It was a bit of a long shot, but it may have been the only way out of this mess.

I reached out with my conscious, but I wasn't trying to reach Elice this time. I felt the touch of the minerals in the ground below me. Okay, so if trying to explain how touching Elice's mind feels is hard, then explaining what it was like to control the earth is impossible. Touching them with my consciousness, well, it's kind of like that feeling you get when you first wake up and you don't want to move, but you know that you have to so you force yourself to get out of bed. That's the best way that I can think of to describe it.

I searched through the different minerals until I found those of the monument. I don't know how to tell you how I knew the difference, but they all have a different feel to them, it's kind of like tasting different flavors of ice cream, how you can tell the flavor by the taste. Anyway, once I found the monument, I tried to force the minerals to separate and break apart. I hoped that I would be able to bring the monument down that way, but the minerals were crammed too close together. It was nearly there, they were ready to split, but they just needed a little extra push.

My thoughts were interrupted when the Cyclops screamed at me. "Demigod will pay for that," he yelled, "I will kill you in most painful way possible."

I turned towards the monster and my consciousness receded. As it did, I felt the minerals in the monument pulling back together. I watched the Cyclops as he prepared to charge at me. I needed to keep the monument ready to fall, but I had to avoid big and ugly while I did. I reached out again and separated the minerals in the base of the monument. As I did, the Cyclops began to run at me.

I dove and rolled to the side. I nearly lost my concentration, but I managed to get it back in time. The Cyclops bolted past me and slammed into the monument. I could feel the minerals crying out as he did. I thought that would be enough to topple the building, but it stood strong. The monster would have to hit it at least a hundred more times to cause any damage. I didn't have time for that, and besides, I wouldn't be able to keep dodging him for very long.

I gripped my sword and I got an idea. It might not be the best idea, but maybe, if I could weaken the base enough, it would work.

The Cyclops roared and then charged at me again. I dodged out of the way and the idiot tripped over himself. He fell to the ground and rolled several feet, causing yet another miniature earthquake. The few mortals who were left in the area screamed as the ground shook violently.

I didn't bother to worry about them. I ran at the monument, my sword ready to strike. I forced the minerals at the base to move as far apart as possible. I swung Heartstopper as hard as I could. The blade hit the side of the monument and cut into the marble like a knife through butter. I ran across the entire base, cutting through and forcing the minerals to break away from each other. I reached the other side of the monument and stopped.

On the side of the building was a massive cut, a near perfect slice. The slash reached almost five feet into the marble from the side. I looked up at the top of the monument, hoping to see it sway as it fell, but the monument remained in place.

I stabbed my sword into the ground, the frustration growing to an unbearable point. It was about to fall, it just needed that one little push. I thought that I might be able to do it, but there was no way that I was strong enough. No, I needed something a little bit heavier. Maybe something that was big and stupid too.

I jumped to the side as a piece of rubble hit the ground where I was standing. I looked over at the Cyclops. He was standing at the end of a channel that he had made in the ground when he fell. He was panting heavily and looked like he was ready to murder somebody. He picked up another piece of rubble and tossed it at me. I stepped to the side as the monster's aim was way off.

"DEMIGOD WILL DIE," he screamed.

"Then come and get me," I yelled back.

The monster stared at me with a large murderous eye. I moved to the side so that I was positioned between the monster and the center of the monument. Now I just needed to make him mad.

"You think you can kill me," I said, "You couldn't even kill a paralyzed chicken." I know what you're thinking and I agree. That was a horrible insult. The thing about monsters though, they are easily angered. And they're not very smart.

"What," the Cyclops yelled.

"You heard me," I called back to him.

I saw a blazing rage ignite in the Cyclops's eye. He charged at me faster than I ever thought someone that big could run. I smiled as I held my sword up. As he approached me, I dove to the side. I guess I misjudged his intelligence just a bit. As I dodged him, the monster reached to the side and grabbed me by the waist again. He had my arms pinned down this time so that I couldn't use my sword.

Even though he managed to grab me, he didn't stop his charge and he ended up slamming head first into the wall of the monument again. I watched as the monument began to sway away from us. A moment of despair took over me as I realized that the monument was going to fall the wrong way.

The monster turned around and rubbed his head. Then he looked down at me and began to celebrate. "Yay," he yelled into the air, "Puny demigod cannot escape me." The monster began waving me around in the air and continued yelling out in celebration. I continued to watch the monument as its sway slowed down, or at least, I thought it was slowing. It was hard to tell with the Cyclops waving me through the air.

The big idiot finally stopped his rambling and held me still as he looked over me. I watched the monument's sway stop. It remained motionless for a second before it began to fall towards us. I smiled. This was exactly what I wanted. But something hit me at that moment. I was going to be crushed along with the monster…unless I could get him to drop me.

The monster looked at me quizzically. "Why do you smile," He asked, "Is dying good thing?" I started laughing. It wasn't because of what he said; it was because he had just given me the perfect idea. "Hey," he yelled, "What is so funny?"

I kept laughing until the monument was looming over us. "It's nothing," I said, "Just don't' look behind you."

I knew that he would be too stupid to not listen to me. The monster turned his head to behold the Washington Monument as it was about to crush him. He turned around and lifted his hands up to catch the structure.

I was dropped and hit the ground underneath him. There was no time for me to run away. Luckily, the shadow of the monument was dark enough for me to get away.

I concentrated on an image of the walkway around the monument, a spot where I would be safe. I watched as the area around me melted away until I was surrounded by pure darkness. I was flung forward at a speed ten times faster than Elice could run. I felt like I was on the world's most dangerous roller coaster.

Before I knew it, a new scene began to form. The shadows melted away until I was sitting in the spot that I imagined being at. I turned around and watched as the Washington Monument fell on the Cyclops, who had made a vain attempt to catch it with his bare hands. The monster let out one final scream as he was crushed.

I sat and stared at the monument. A month ago, I never would have believed that I would be able to accomplish such a thing. Even now, sitting there like I was, staring at the fallen monument, I was in complete disbelief that I had actually done it.

I stood up and continued to stare at the monument. I was actually expecting the Cyclops to come crawling out from under the rubble. After everything that I had thrown at it, I had begun to think that it was invincible. Nothing is invincible though I guess. I might have stood there all day, waiting for the monster to attack me again. I might have, if I hadn't heard that roar.

I looked off into the distance. I couldn't see anything, but I could sense it. There were monsters nearby…and there were a lot of them. If that wasn't bad enough, I also heard sirens approaching me. In a matter of seconds I had gotten the entire mortal world and half of the immortal world after me. I had to disappear fast if I wanted to live.

Elice yelped as she appeared next to me, her back lowered so that I could climb onto her. I mounted her quickly and gripped her fur as she sped off into the distance. I looked back in time to see a group of police cars arriving at the fallen Washington Monument.

Elice ran well into the night and the next morning. I had gotten used to sleeping on her back while she ran, but it was still uncomfortable. She didn't like to stop, but I still needed to eat. Even Elice needed to eat she just didn't do so nearly as often as I did. Anyway, by noon the next day I could feel my stomach growling. That's how I ended up at a McDonalds outside of Raleigh, North Carolina.

It was lucky that I had just enough money for a meal. I didn't have the energy to try and steal anything. It was easy enough with my shadow powers, but I didn't have the strength to use any of my powers. Not after that fight. Regardless of how I got it, it felt good to finally get something in my stomach.

I sat down in a far corner of the dining area. There were only a few other people in the place, which included a group of teenagers on the opposite side of the restaurant who were yelling and throwing their food at each other, a family of three that sat two tables away from me, and a lonely old man who was sitting at the table next to me.

I was surprised at how fancy the place was. The seats were comfortable and there were even these comfy chairs that looked like they belonged in someone's living room. The comfy chairs, which there were four of, each had a small table attached to it so they could be used to eat at. There were also three LCD TVs in the dining room, one of which I could see clearly from where I sat.

Local news was showing on the TV. A blond haired woman wearing a red dress sat behind a desk with a view of downtown Raleigh behind her. Well, I think that was what the view was. I've never been to Raleigh so I wouldn't be able to tell. Anyway, she was talking on and on about a local shooting or something like that. I wasn't really paying attention. I was too focused on my food.

"And in national news," the woman said, "Has Washington succumbed to a terrorist attack?" I stopped halfway through my sandwich and looked up at the screen. To the left of the woman was an image of the Washington Monument with the words, LEBBORISL VLLACK, printed over them. Again, dyslexia. "Late afternoon yesterday, an explosion at the Washington Monument caused the structure to crash into the ground in what government officials are calling, 'the strangest and boldest attack on American soil in history.'

I could feel myself sweating as the newscast went on. The screen changed to show a bird's eye view of the monument, or what was left of it anyway. Construction crews were scattered around the rubble of the building, attempting to clean it away from the area.

"This is the current state of one of our countries most beloved monuments after yesterday's attack," the woman went on, "A witness at the scene was able to capture the attack on video, but the event is baffling everyone from citizens to the F.B.I's top investigators."

The screen changed again to show the monument standing as it had been before. A man's voice could be heard telling his daughter to look up at the structure. After a few seconds, someone ran out of the monument and disappeared from the frame. The camera panned over to show me standing with my hands on my knees and panting for breath.

The scene went silent. Then a loud crashing noise could be heard and the camera shook violently. The camera panned back to the monument, but not before showing me turn around to look at it. A few more crashing noises could be heard and the camera shook with each one. Suddenly, a massive explosion went off on the side of the monument accompanied by a loud boom. The man that was filming the video screamed in terror and let out several, 'Oh my god's, before the screen went black.

The blond woman appeared again. "A frightening sight," she said, "Officials report that the building was evacuated in time and that no one was hurt."

I let out a relieved sigh. I had never considered that anyone might be inside of the monument when I toppled it. Hearing that everyone had escaped safely was good to know. Not only that, but, from the looks of things, no one had any idea that I had destroyed the monument. Who would suspect a twelve year old of even being capable of something like that?...Apparently, more people than you would think.

My relief was short lived as a new image appeared next to the news lady. The image showed an enhanced picture of me from the video that the man had shot. I was staring at the camera as I turned to look back at the monument. My face was kind of pixilated, but you could make out a few features. Besides that, I was still wearing the same clothes, a black pair of tight fitting jeans and a black shirt with a skull and crossbones on it.

"Witnesses claim to have seen this boy at the base of the tower when it fell," the woman said, "No one can identify him, but authorities are asking that anyone who sights him to report his location to their local police department. This boy is to be considered armed and highly dangerous."

I swallowed the last bite of my sandwich. Ever since that picture of me appeared on screen, everyone had been staring at me. Well, everyone besides for the teenagers, who had already left. The guy at the cash register had disappeared into the back and the old man had just hung up his phone. I could only guess at what they were doing, but I knew that it wasn't good. Well, not for me anyway.

"Cleanup crews are expecting…" the woman began to say, but whatever she was going to say was lost as I left the restaurant. I reached out to Elice. Before long, she was speeding to me as fast as she could.

She wasn't fast enough. I watched as a squad car pulled into the parking lot. The words, North Carolina State Police, were seen on the side even though I had to squint to read them. A trooper stepped out of the car and looked right at me. I tried to walk away casually, but the officer grabbed me by the arm.

"I have some questions boy," the officer said, "I'll need to take you downtown."

"Sorry," I said, "But I need to find my mom." I looked up and saw Elice speeding towards me. "Look, there she is now."

I pulled away from the officer as Elice leaped onto him. The man cried out in fear as Elice bit into his arm, her massive teeth easily piercing into the man's forearm. Elice used her immense strength to hurl the man across the parking lot and into his own squad car. Before the officer could get up, I was on Elice's back and speeding down the highway towards South Carolina faster than any mortal car could move.

"I need backup," I heard the officer yell into his radio, "Suspect in Washington terror attack has been sighted!"


	5. Chapter 5

**-First Love: Part 1-**

* * *

Elice wouldn't let me out of her sight after Washington. We still had to stop so that I could eat, and sometimes at night when it became impossible for me to sleep on her back. It wasn't often that Elice would stop, but whenever we did she would refuse to leave my side. I was actually welcoming her protective attitude. Trying to keep her away from me was what got me into trouble in the first place.

Elice's overly protectiveness ended up saving my life several times while we were traveling through the south of the United States. First there were those snake women that she killed in Georgia. They weren't like the two in New York, who I found out were Medusa's sisters. The two women I ran into in Georgia were called Scythian Dracaenae, dragon women. They were basically humanoid women with serpentine legs. Then there was the dragon that we ran into in Georgia. Of course, neither one of us could kill a dragon so we ended up escaping from it, and can I just say, it's a really good thing that monsters have the intelligence of a common ant. And don't even get me started on Miami. I never want to be that close to the Sea of Monsters again. Seriously, I sat down for about five minutes and an army of monsters was after me by the time I left. It's a good thing that we were able to evade them within a day.

Anyway, after the dragon in Georgia, I was becoming more and more reluctant to taking breaks for more than a few minutes. Elice became even more protective of me after that too. While I was happy to welcome her aid at first, it started to get annoying at times. She was starting to become more like a mother than a companion. Don't get me wrong, I was glad that she was there to help me, but it could get on my nerves at certain times. Besides, I was starting to be able to handle myself.

So, after the dragon, we hardly ever stopped unless we really needed to. There were even times when I was sure that Elice had lost Emily's scent, but she didn't stop like she used to. The first time we stopped was that town in Michigan. That was where I met Sarena. And that was where I finally left my childhood behind.

We crossed the border into Michigan from Ohio. We were on foot, Elice had been slowing down for a while and I thought it would be good for her to take a break. We were on an open plane, away from the roads, and heading towards Lake Erie. Well, I hoped that was where we were headed. Elice definitely needed a drink and that was the only lake that I knew of in Michigan. Of course, I didn't know anything outside of a few streets of Manhattan, so I was pretty much lost all the time.

It had already been several months since I had left. I didn't have a definite answer, but I could guess. I had left in October. I had watched the seasons change as I traveled, from fall to winter. The snow had stopped falling fairly recently and the days were starting to get longer and hotter. If I had to take a guess, it was either March or April.

As we walked across the planes, I grabbed the flask that I had stolen a few weeks ago and uncapped it. I took a sip of the little bit of water that was left. My throat was as dry as ever and the moistening that came with the water felt great. Before I knew it, the flask was empty. I let out a frustrated sigh as I capped it and placed it back in my pocket. I was hoping that I could save some for Elice, but the little bit that was left wasn't even enough to quench my thirst.

Elice whimpered at me as I looked over at her with concern. I patted her on the side of the head. "Don't worry girl," I said, "We'll find something to drink." I heard my stomach growl, "And maybe something to eat while we're at it."

I gave Elice a reassuring smile. She didn't think that it was very convincing. I didn't think so either. In all honesty, I really thought that we were going to die out there. Well, I thought that I was going to die anyway. Elice was immortal, technically. Monsters don't really die they're just sent back to Tartarus for a little while. They could be there for a few days or several hundred years, but they always come back eventually. That would probably lead some to wonder why Elice needed to drink and eat. She doesn't need food and water to survive, not like me, but she still gets tired and it helps to have something to eat and drink.

I continued to rub Elice's head as we walked. Then she stopped, and I stopped with her. I could sense them coming before Elice barked at them. I looked out across the planes to confirm my suspicions. At an undetermined distance ahead of us, I saw what looked like a pack of oversized wolves. To anyone else, that's what they would look like, but I knew what they were. A pack of hellhounds were charging at us at full speed.

Elice prepared to intercept the group. I tried to summon my sword, but it was impossible. There were no trees out there and it was the middle of the day. My shadow manipulation may have been my strongest power, but I couldn't use it when it was bright and sunny out. It was a good thing I had become flexible when it came to this sort of thing.

I backed behind Elice so that I was standing in her shadow. I tried to summon Heartstopper again, but I wasn't fast enough. Two of the hellhounds pounced at us. I managed to form a shade from Elice's shadow. The shade shot at one of the hellhounds and it turned to dust in an instant. At the same time, Elice swatted the second hellhound out of the air, jumped on it, and bit into its jugular. Two piles of dust were blown away by the wind.

The rest of the hellhounds caught up to us while we were preoccupied. I could now see that there were five of them, not including the two dead ones. They were also young hellhounds. All five of them were much smaller than Elice, most of them weren't even my height. Regardless of their age, the hellhounds snarled at us like they were eyeing their next meal.

The hellhounds formed a circle around us, effectively closing us in. Elice backed close to me as she faced three of them. I watched the other two as they eyed me closely. Elice had positioned herself so that I stood in her shadow. It was the perfect stance for us to take these monsters on. I prepared to summon my sword, but I waited. I needed the right moment to strike.

Now, a few months ago, I would've been freaking out at this point. Even the smallest monsters scared me when I had first discovered that I was a demigod, but after being through so much, most of it didn't faze me. Of course, I was still feeling a pit in my stomach, a small amount of nervousness, but it was easier to ignore the feeling than it used to be.

I watched the two hellhounds as the group began to walk a circle around us. They were waiting to strike, trying to find a weakness, looking for that fear to show in my eyes that showed them that they could intimidate me. They wouldn't see it. The hounds circled again and again. I saw the first one that I had been watching pass me several times. Whatever they were waiting for, they weren't seeing it.

The hounds changed direction and charged at us without warning. I summoned Heartstopper with ease as Elice jumped at one of the three hellhounds behind me. The hellhounds in front of me moved swift. One of them jumped. I ducked under the first hound and stabbed the second in its mouth as it opened its jaw to attack. The monster disintegrated and flew into the wind.

Behind me, I heard a yelp that sounded like a frightened dog. I turned around to check on Elice. That was my mistake. Before I even saw her, I felt a paw hit me in the side and I was thrown onto the ground.

I felt the hellhound's paw as it pushed down on my chest. I tried to force it off, but even the youngest of hellhounds were too strong for me. I opened my eyes and beheld the hound's maw, its teeth showing a mere inch from my face. It growled and droll dripped down onto my face. I was starting to think that I had let this go on for too long. It was time to end it.

"Get off," I said. I felt a momentary lightheadedness as I used my power over monsters. The creature looked at me confused for a moment. It wasn't going to let me control it that easily. "I said…GET…OFF."

The monster continued to stare at me, but it was wearing a pained expression. It looked as if the creature were fighting with itself over whether or not it should listen to me. I felt the weight on my chest begin to lighten. The hound continued to snarl at me, but it obediently lifted its paw off of my chest and stepped away from me.

I stood up and brushed the dust off of my clothes. I looked over at the hellhound. It sat on the ground and stared at me. It was similar to the way Elice did when she was waiting for my next order, but less obedient. The creature was still growling at me like it expected me to strike at it in a moment. Maybe these things were smarter than I thought.

"Now die," I said. I swung my sword and decapitated the hound. Before its head even hit the ground, it and the monster's body turned to dust.

In front of me, Elice sat and stared at me with a pained look. I couldn't blame her for feeling some kind of remorse for the monster. After all, they were her kin. I imagined that she must have felt the same kind of feeling that I got when Emily disappeared. It was hard for me to think like that though. I couldn't imagine feeling any kind of sorrow for these monsters, even if I considered one of them my friend.

Behind Elice, I saw two of the hellhounds running into the distance. I don't know what it was, but something in me wanted to go after them. Maybe I was starting to feel like I had the means to chase them down and that meant that I should. I was fed up with always being the one that was being chased. Now that the roles were reversed for once, I wanted to savor the feeling.

"Elice," I said, "After them."

She looked at me confused as I imagined she would be. I wasn't using my power on her, though I assumed that I would have to, but Elice still looked like she was struggling with what to do. I can't blame her really. If someone wanted me to help them chase down a group of demigods I would've refused in an instant. I was basically asking Elice to do the same thing. But it was different…it was different to me anyway.

I was getting ready to use my power over Elice when she turned around. With relief, I mounted her, sent Heartstopper back to its hiding place, and we sped off after the hellhounds.

The hounds were younger than Elice, they were smaller, and they were slower. The problem was that they had gained a major head start over us. By the time we had begun to chase them, they were already out of sight. It was wrong to underestimate Elice though. Within seconds, the hounds appeared in the distance, and in another few minutes, we had already caught up to them.

We were a stone's throw away when Elice started to slow down. She wasn't tired. She was still deciding what to do. She had never seen me act so boldly. The thing was that I had grown a lot in the short time that I had been gone. Admittedly, I was still a child, but I was more of a warrior than I was when I left. And I was tired of all these monsters thinking they could get the better of me because I was a kid. I wasn't going to let them get away from me, not after everything that had happened. Despite her obvious reluctance, Elice sped up again and was striding next to one of the hellhounds.

I moved my legs and pushed myself from Elice's back. I flew towards the monster. While airborne, I summoned my sword using the hellhound's shadow, despite the difficulty it presented. Heartstopper appeared in my hand in full form. I fell towards the creature and stabbed down at it. My blade pierced the hound's back. The monster lost its footing as it turned to dust.

I landed on my feet and looked after the second hound. The monster had gained a little bit of ground on us, but it wouldn't take long to catch. I started running towards it. Something grabbed my shirt as I did. I looked back to see Elice biting into my shirt. I was angry with her, but I could see in her eyes that she was determined to let that hellhound go. I wanted to chase it. I wanted to destroy that thing, but I didn't want to upset Elice. I had already forced her to kill one. I couldn't make her go through any more.

"Okay girl," I said reluctantly, "We'll let him go." I sent my sword back to its alleyway and reassured Elice with a smile.

A clear understanding showed in her eyes, but she didn't let go of my sleeve. She pulled at it a few times before letting go and walking away. I looked after her and saw that she was walking towards what looked like a campground in the distance. A campground meant that we may have finally found water…and hopefully something to eat.

We approached the campground. It was small, only a few dirt roads, about three dozen or so trailers, and a single lake. There was also a building that looked like a kind of recreation center and a smaller building that was the main office for the campground. Elice ran straight for the lake and I followed her. Before anything, we both needed something to drink.

Elice began lapping water into her mouth hurriedly. I wasn't exactly up to the idea of drinking from a lake, but I had gotten water from worse places. I looked around to make sure there were no people around. It sounds strange, but if anyone saw me drinking from a lake, they might start asking questions, which was something that I wanted to avoid. The campground was very much empty. I had only seen one car when we walked in. It was understandable. It was still just the beginning of spring.

With no one around, I knelt down at the edge of the water. I cupped some with my hands and drank. The water was dirty and tasted awful, but it was the best sensation I had in a while. Dehydration was probably one of the worst feelings in the world. It messes with your head, makes you see things that aren't there. The thing is a cool drink after near dehydration was probably the best feeling in the world.

I took my flask, uncapped it, and filled it with water. The water may have been terrible, but I needed something to drink in case of drastic circumstances. Besides, having a flask of water made it easier to travel for several days at a time. With my flask full, I pocketed it and started walking towards the office building. Elice was too preoccupied to notice me disappearing.

I walked into the office building and a bell rang to signal my entrance. "Afternoon," A woman behind the counter said, "Need help with anything?" The woman smiled at me tenderly. She was an older woman, mid forties probably, with curly brunette hair. She had laugh lines on her cheeks and her eyes were spaced widely apart. She was wearing a dark brown dress shirt and khaki pants. The way that she smiled at me, well, something about it told me that she was a mother.

"No," I said.

The office building was more than that. The small place was also a tiny convenience store. There were a few shelves that held some snacks and some two liters of pop. There was a mini fridge by the door that held a bunch of containers of various sizes. I wasn't sure what they were at first, but when I looked closer, I saw that each of them held different kinds of worms. A sign above the fridge read: PVIT. Well, it probably said BAIT, but reading wasn't my strong suit.

"I've never seen you here before," the woman said, "Where're your parents?"

"Yeah," I said, "Me and my mom, were on a road trip and we got kind of lost."

"Well if you're lost," the woman said, "You should probably go to Morenci and ask for directions. You should be able to see the town from the road."

"Oh," I said. I looked back at the shelves of food in the place. I really needed something to eat, and something to drink other than lake water. I didn't have any money though. I could've easily stolen anything I wanted from the store using my powers, but I didn't want to steal anything from this place, not from someone like this woman. "Thanks," I said, "I'll tell my mom."

I left the store with the lady waving goodbye to me. Well that was a setback on my plans. I just wanted to go in and get some food, but my conscious wouldn't let me steal from someone who was being nice to me. It looked like I would have to go into town and find something to eat. What did the lady call that place…Morenci?

I found the lake where I had left Elice. My oh-so-terrifying hellhound had decided to take a nice little swim while I was gone. I saw her floating out in the center of the lake, doing a doggie paddle to stay afloat, and ducking her head underwater every so often like she was trying to catch a fish.

I wanted to get into town and get moving again as soon as possible, but I didn't want to interrupt Elice. She just looked like she was having too much fun out there. Instead, I sat down near the lake's shore and watched her swim around for a bit. I dug around in my pockets and pulled out the picture of me and my sister that I had been holding onto. I stared at it for a long time while I waited for Elice.

I was starting to forget what Emily had looked like. It had been so long since I had seen her. She was beautiful. Her curly brown hair flowed down her back like waves in the ocean. Her eyes were the same color as her hair, light brown, and they always had this funny sparkle in them even when she was sad. It matched her personality perfectly. She always had a tendency to look on the bright side. She had this cute little slope in her nose too that made it look like it was smaller than normal. She would always get embarrassed when I mentioned it though. In the picture, she was smiling as I cradled her hand in mine.

I was nothing like her. It should've been obvious that we weren't actually related. My nose was normal, a fact that I liked to point out to Emily sometimes. My hair was black as night, just like my eyes. It must have been longer now than it was in the picture. I could feel it brush against the top of my shoulders sometimes. I wore black all the time too. I'm not sure why, I guess it just suited me is all. It may have had something to do with who my father was though, or it might just be because I'm gloomy like that, I was barely even smiling in the picture. It was a major contrast to Emily's white dress. There was this one thing I wore a lot when I was younger. It was a necklace that had a shark's tooth tied on it. It was a gift from my mother. I still cursed myself for losing it a few years ago.

I stared at the picture of me and my sister and let my mind swim in the memories. My trance was broken when I felt what I assumed to be a wet dishrag rubbing against my shoulder. I looked over at Elice who was clearly indicating that it was time to go. I smiled, pocketed the picture that I was still holding, and stood up.

"We'll leave soon girl," I said. I patted Elice on the head and looked across the lake. On the other side, there was a tree line that covered most of the view beyond it. However, I could see the outlines of a few houses and other buildings in the distance beyond them. "There's just one thing that we need to do first," I said, "You up for a little trip?"

Elice was used to my tendency to get sidetracked, so it wasn't a surprise to me when she allowed me to mount her without waiting for me to explain anything. It was uncomfortable to sit on her when she was soaking wet, but I had learned to deal with worse. I didn't even have to point out where we were going. Elice jumped across the lake with a single bound and sped off towards Morenci as her feet hit the ground.

It only took us a few seconds to reach the town. It couldn't have been more than a mile from the campground we were just at. It was pretty small, compared to New York anyway. That didn't come as much of a surprise though. Most of the towns we had passed through were smaller than New York. If I had to guess, I would say that there were probably a little over a hundred people living here, based on the size.

Elice stopped after entering the city and let me down. I turned to her. "What do you think girl," I asked. She looked at me a bit confused. "Do you want to come with me," I asked, "Or would you rather head back to the campground?" Elice looked back at the campground and then at me again. Surprisingly, she turned around and started heading back to the campsite. Maybe she was starting to realize that I needed some space.

I walked through the town in search of anywhere that might sell food. I managed to happen upon a convenience store, where I ended up stealing a backpacks worth of cereal bars, pop-tarts, some different candy bars, canned fruit, and a variety of other canned food. I also grabbed a bottle of Coke-Cola for myself. I had never had any pop while I was in the orphanage, but after I left I stole a can of Coke from a gas station and I was hooked on it instantly.

I sat on a bench a few blocks away from the convenience store. I ate a couple of the cereal bars, a Snickers bar, and a can of raspberry flavored peaches. I sat on the bench for a little while and finished my bottle of Coke. Afterward, I stood up and stretched. I looked up at the setting sun. It was time for me to go.

I threw my backpack over my shoulder. That was when I saw her. Across the street I saw a girl, my age, walking towards the store I had just come from. She had long blond hair and she was wearing an egg white tank top and a pair of tight fitting blue jeans. She looked over at me for just a second, and I saw that she had the most beautiful pair of storm gray eyes. She turned away from me almost immediately. I don't even think she had seen me.

There was something about her. I don't how to describe it, but she was different than other people that I had met. Whatever it was, all I knew was that I wanted to meet her.

I sprinted across the street. "Excuse me," I called to her as I reached the sidewalk on the opposite side of the road. She didn't bother to look at me. She had barely looked up from her phone since I had noticed her. "Excuse me," I said again as I approached her, "Miss."

The girl turned and looked at me. I tried to greet her with a smile, but I felt like the muscles in my face were frozen. "Hi," I said, "Ummm." Alright, so, I knew that I wanted to meet this girl, but I wasn't exactly sure why. And then there was the fact that I had absolutely no idea what to say to her. I wasn't the best at meeting new people and considering this was the first time that I had tried to talk to someone outside of the orphanage…well, it didn't help the situation very much.

The girl stared at me and looked me up and down. I felt like I was being inspected the way that I was back at the orphanage. Whenever new potential parents showed up, the caretakers would line us up so that the parents could look over us and ask us questions. Well, this wasn't exactly the same, but it felt a lot like it.

Alright, so I had gotten myself into an awkward situation, now it was time to get myself out. I opened my mouth to speak, but I never got another word out.

"Do you need something," the girl asked.

Her voice was sweet, the way that Emily's was. I hadn't expected that. Honestly, I thought that she was going to have a harsh tone like she was annoyed with the fact that I was bothering her. She probably was, but she was too nice to be mean about it. Whatever the case, I was glad that she wasn't angry. Or acting like she wasn't anyway.

"I…Ummm," I said. I had to think of something quick. I couldn't just stop a random girl on the street and then stand there and stare at her. That would just be creepy.

"Oh yeah," I said as a thought came to me. I dug around in my pockets until I found my picture again. "Have you seen this girl," I asked.

I held the picture of me and my sister out for the girl to look at. She stared at it intently for a long time. It looked like she was looking at me more than Emily. I didn't think that she would know anything really, but it was the only thing that I could think of. The girl finally looked up from the picture after some time.

"She's been missing for a while now," I explained, "I'm really worried about her."

"She looks familiar," the girl said, "I swear I've seen her before."

"Really," I asked with a bit of surprise.

"Yeah," she said, "About a week ago."

I couldn't believe that I was hearing this. Months of searching, of Elice following her scent and worrying about whether or not I was racing towards a corpse…I had finally found an answer. It wasn't much, not really, but there was now a possibility that Emily was alive. My months of searching may have finally come to an end.

"Where," I said, "Did you talk to her, is she okay?" I must have looked, and sounded, ecstatic by then, but I didn't care. Emily was alive, and I may have finally found her.

"Actually, I did talk to her, right around here," the girl said, "She talked about some group called the hunters and said that I should join. I don't know what she was talking about. Anyway, I haven't seen her since then."

"She's alive," I said out loud like I was trying to convince myself of its truth. I wasn't sure what the girl meant by the hunters, and it was clear that Emily was no longer in this town, but that didn't matter. "She's alive," I said again. I threw my arms into the air and began spinning around. I said it over and over again, reveling in the fact that it was true.

Behind me, I heard the girl giggling and I felt my face turn red. "Sorry," I said.

"Don't worry about it," the girl said. She looked at me for a moment and I looked at her. "So," she said, "This girl is obviously important. Is she your girlfriend?"

"What," I said kind of surprised, "No, she's my sister."

"Oh," the girl said as she nodded at me, "That's cute, an older brother worried about his sister."

I felt my face heat up again. "There's nothing wrong with that," I said.

"Of course there isn't," she laughed, "I just said that it was cute." The girl winked at me as she turned around. I don't know what it was, but something compelled me to grab the girl's arm and stop her.

"Wait," I said. The girl turned to look at me. What I was about to do was crazy, and I knew it. Oh well, I had done crazier things. "Umm, would you like to, ahhh," I hesitated for a moment, but I managed to continue. "Maybe hang out sometime."

This must have been the funniest looking scene in the history of pre-teen dating. Here I was, a boy that was just under thirteen, asking a girl on a date, in a town I had never seen before, and I was soaking wet and smelling like wet dog. Actually, I smelled like wet hellhound, which is like wet dog, but five times worse.

This is the stuff that comedy movies are made of.

The girl continued to stare at me as I realized that I was still holding her by the arm. I let her go and looked at her. As much as I wanted to think that I was wrong, I knew what she was going to do. At any minute, she was going to turn away from me and walk away. And then I would never see her again.

"Okay," the girl said, "Sounds fun."

"Yeah," I said, "That's what I…Wait, what?"

"I said it sounds fun, and we should definitely hangout sometime."

"Really," I said, "That's…That's great, but…"

"How about tonight," she said, "You should meet me at that park over there, later of course."

The girl pointed to a park a block away from us. "Sure," I said, "Yeah, but…I never got your name."

"Sarena," she said, "And what about you."

"Hirius," I said.

"Well, Hirius," Sarena said, "I look forward to tonight." With that, she turned and walked off into the night.

I looked out in the direction that she had left in until she disappeared. A smile was on my face. And why shouldn't I be happy? This was quite possibly one of the best days I had in a long time. I found out that my sister was alive and I got to meet an awesome girl that liked me. Sure, it might have started off kind of bad, what with being attacked by a pack of hellhounds and all, but, overall, I'd say it was a pretty good day.

I turned and started heading back to the campground where Elice was. I had to get back as soon as possible. I needed to prepare for my date. I stopped cold as that thought came to me. _My gods_, I thought, _I have to prepare for my date…my first date_.


	6. Chapter 6

**-First Love: Part 2-**

* * *

I stood there for a while and let that thought sink in. I never imagined that I would end up going through something like this. Yeah, normal teens went through first dates and stuff like that, but I was far from being a normal teen.

As I finally got over that little episode, I shadow traveled back to the lake. I appeared next to a tree a few feet from the shore. Elice was next to me, lying on the ground in a ball shape. She didn't pay any attention to me as I appeared out of thin air next to her. She was too busy catching up on sleep to worry about me.

I snuck past Elice and went down to the shore of the lake. I sat down and dug into my backpack. After a bit of searching I pulled out a few things to clean myself up: A bar of soap, a bottle of shampoo, as well as a few other things. I also pulled out an extra pair of clothes. After all, I couldn't wear a pair of jeans that were soaked and smelled like wet hellhound.

I held my things and looked down at the lake. Normally, I would find a nice pond or lake or sometimes a slow flowing river when I wanted to clean myself up, but something made me reluctant to use one this time. Natural water sources weren't the best ways of getting clean. I only used them because they were convenient, well at least they are when you're a twelve year old on the run. I really wanted to make sure I looked as best as I could tonight. For some reason, this whole thing meant a lot to me.

I ended up finding an empty trailer, which was pretty easy since only two of them were actually in use. Just in case though, I used my powers to make myself invisible. Luckily, the trailer that I had decided to break into had a bathroom, a rather small one, with a shower.

I washed up quickly. I wanted to take the time to clean myself up, but a thought occurred to me as I jumped in the shower. I had no idea when I was supposed to meet Sarena. She told me to meet her, "Later tonight," but that didn't give me any specific time. I thought it would be best to try and be there as early as I could. I shampooed my hair twice, just to be sure, and used the bar of soap to clean the rest of my body. I was in and out in about ten minutes. I threw my new clothes on and was out of there so fast that I forgot to grab the shampoo and soap.

The sun had set by the time I left the trailer. The moon was glowing in the sky as it stared down at me. I wasn't very good at telling time, I had meant to steal a watch several times since I thought that it would come in handy, but I always ended up forgetting about it. No matter the time, I definitely knew that it was night and that I should get going.

I didn't bother going down to the lake. Elice was already asleep and I wasn't in the mood to deal with a cranky hellhound. Even the nicest hellhounds are vicious when you disturb their beauty sleep. I got an image of the park that Sarena had pointed out in my mind and shadow traveled back into Morenci.

I appeared on the opposite side of the street looking at the park on the other side. There were three baseball diamonds at the back edge of the park, farthest from me, that formed an L-shape. One of the diamonds looked like it was designed for children while the other two looked about normal size. Next to the diamond in the center of the L-shape they formed was what looked like a skate park and in front of the same diamond were two tennis courts. At the edge of the park directly across from me was a children's playground, complete with two jungle gyms, one at each end, a set of monkey bars, and a swing set.

Sarena was already there waiting for me. She was sitting on one of the three swings on the swing set. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans, maybe the ones from before, and a black leather jacket. She sat on the swing with her feet hovering over the ground. She was facing away from me and looking down at the dirt underneath her. Great, I had already managed to screw everything up.

"Were you waiting long," I asked as I walked up to her.

Sarena looked up at me and smiled. "Not really," she said, "I've only been sitting here for a few minutes."

"That's good," I said, "I thought I had made you wait."

I stood there and stared at her as she did at me. It only took a few minutes to get awkward. I wasn't sure what I should say or what I should do. I just kind of stood there with this really idiotic look on my face, at least I thought it must have looked that way. Luckily, Sarena managed to break the silence.

"Wouldn't you rather sit," she said offering the swing next to her.

I sat down quickly and stared at the ground. Judging by how things were going, I had to say that I was not very good at this. I know it was my first date and all, but even by that standard this seemed like a disaster. I couldn't even call it a date really. It was just the two of us sitting on a swing set at a playground in the middle of the night. I guess it was just nice to think of it that way.

"So," I said as a thought occurred to me, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Sarena said.

"Why did you ever agree to this," I asked.

Okay, if you haven't figured it out yet, I have very low self esteem. Even though I was sitting there I couldn't believe that Sarena had actually wanted to hang out with me. I must have made the worst first impression ever, and I wasn't even that good looking. Something kept nagging at me to ask her about this. I felt like this was something more than just an innocent first date-hang out-thing.

"Honestly," Sarena said, "There was something about you, something familiar." She stopped and sighed as she looked at the ground. "My mom isn't around anymore," she said to my surprise, "I don't know where she is, my dad doesn't like talking about her, but I think he knows something." She paused for a moment. "I don't know why I told you that," she said, "When you told me about your missing sister…it made me think of my mom."

Sarena continued staring at the ground. It was hard to tell, but I saw tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She was trying to hide it from me, but I knew that she was trying to hold back her sobs. I wanted to comfort her, to say something that might make her feel better, but what could I say? I guess I could tell her why I seemed familiar to her.

"My mom died when I was little," I said. Sarena looked up at me and wiped the tears from her eyes. I looked off into the distance as I thought about my painful past. "My dad, he's…" I hesitated as I nearly told her about who my dad really was. "He's gone. I never got to know him. He disappeared when I was young." I paused as I went back to my mother. "My mom died of a…a heart attack when I was three. My sister and I lived in an orphanage before we ran away. We lived on the streets for a few months before she disappeared."

Sarena looked at me for a long time like she was evaluating the validity of my story. "Are you on your own," she asked.

"Yeah," I said, "It's tough, but I manage."

"That sounds awful," she said, "I couldn't imagine living without my dad."

"What about your mom," I asked, "Was it tough getting used to life without her?"

"Not really," Sarena said, "She disappeared when I was little. I never got to know her."

I was left speechless at that. Sarena's story was starting to sound all too familiar. Maybe she was like me. No, that couldn't be it. Surely she would have a weird tale or two to tell me. She could have been afraid to tell me those though. Maybe she thought I would think she was crazy if she told me about them. I couldn't blame her. That was why I didn't tell her any of my weird stories.

"Um," I said trying to change the subject, "Are we allowed out here after dark."

Sarena looked at me in silence for a moment. After she realized what I was trying to do, she started laughing. "No," she said, "This park closes after eleven. No one will care if we're here though. Morenci doesn't have much of a police force anyway."

"I don't usually get along with police," I said.

I hadn't thought about the fact that I was a fugitive in a while. It didn't affect me most of the time since most people didn't recognize me without my picture being somewhere nearby. The fact that no one knew my name made it easy to avoid attention too. Usually, I was able to move around normally as long as I avoided larger cities.

The night progressed well after that. With the awkwardness gone, Sarena and I really got to know each other as we talked. We avoided our pasts though. She seemed just as reluctant as I was to say anything more than was already said. Instead, we talked about other things, hobbies, likes, dislikes, and other normal stuff like that.

Sarena was smart. She was homeschooled by her dad, who happened to be an engineer. She knew all kinds of crazy mathematical concepts. Despite the fact that she was only twelve, she already understood a few of the more complex equations from calculus. I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, but I guess it was supposed to be impressive. Honestly, she could have just read a whole sentence without squinting and I would've been impressed.

That was another strange thing about Sarena. She had dyslexia and ADHD too. Her father had noticed it in her early, but that hardly stopped her from her journey to learn everything there was to know about everything. The more she told me about herself, the more I was convinced she was a demigod. It was impossible though. Two demigods in the same place would attract enough monsters to fill Madison Square Garden twice.

We were out there for hours, I don't know the exact time, but I hated to see it end. Sarena had to get back home though. She was lucky that she actually had one to go to. I guess I shouldn't be that gloomy though. At least I had a loveable hellhound waiting for my return, even if she was asleep.

Sarena and I said our goodbyes and, strangely enough, agreed to meet again tomorrow night. I was actually happy to agree to meet her again, despite knowing that I would have to leave soon. Something told me that I should stay though. No, I wanted to stay. I didn't want to leave Sarena. I actually wanted to give up on my journey.

That was just crazy talk though. I couldn't stay. I had to find Emily, especially since I was closer to finding her now more than ever. I could stay for a while though. Just for a couple of days.

That was what I told myself, but that wasn't what happened. I was there for several weeks. It was nice in a way. I was actually getting to act like a normal kid\pre-teen. I forgot about a lot during that time. Elice was constantly whimpering at me, begging me to leave, but I couldn't. I had to stay. I mean, there hadn't even been any monsters attacking me while I was there. Everything was perfect. Well, it was until that night.

We were getting ready to leave when it happened. Normally, we would have just said our goodbyes and then gone our separate ways, but it was different that night. We stood there for a while, after saying goodbye, and stared at each other. My heart was racing and we started moving closer. I knew what was about to happen, but the moment was interrupted by one of the craziest hallucinations I had ever seen.

I looked into Sarena's eyes as we moved toward each other. Then there was a white flash. The scene was different now. I was looking at the most gruesome sight I had ever seen. A lion was standing over a fresh kill. It wasn't a normal lion though. In the place of its tail was what looked like a giant scorpion's tail. The creature's face looked more human than feline. On the ground under the lion was a young girl with blond hair lying in a pool of blood. I saw the scene for a second before it disappeared.

I was standing in front of Sarena again. The look on her face had shifted to one of fear. It didn't take me long to realize that she had seen the same hallucination that I had. She stared at me for a long time. I was about to say something when she pushed me away and started running home.

I was left standing in surprise. I didn't know what I had seen, but I knew someone that could tell me. I had to speak to my father about this. If anyone knew what I had just gone through, it would be him. The only problem was trying to contact him. I had only ever spoken to him in my dreams and I wasn't sure that I could control it. Guess it was only a matter of trying.

I shadow traveled back to the campground where Elice and I had decided to…rent one of the trailers. She was sleeping on a couch in the living room. I snuck past her and found my way to the bedroom. I lay down and concentrated on what it felt like when I was in the Underworld. It wasn't long before I was asleep…and standing in my father's throne room.

"You wanted to chat," my father asked.

"You knew," I answered.

"I told you that I was watching you," he said, "I know everything that happened."

"Then what was that," I asked, "What in the world did I see?"

"Another unfortunate, shall we say…side-effect of being a child of the Underworld," Hades said, "Anyone that looks into your eyes is shown their own death…and you are shown their death as well."

"Why hasn't this happened before," I asked.

"Only now are you powerful enough for this unique ability to come forth," he said.

"Then what did I see," I asked. I was afraid of the answer, but I had to know.

"Sarena's death," Hades said, "Apparently she will be slain by the manticore. How unfortunate. I suppose she should be happy that she won't be sent to the fields of punishment though."

I stood silently and let that sink in. I knew before he had said it that what I had seen was Sarena's death. Hearing it said out loud though, it just made it that much more intense. I couldn't' let that happen. I had to protect Sarena somehow. That thing, the manticore, it was obviously drawn to her because of me. I had to leave her if I wanted her to be safe, unless I could take her with me.

"Sarena," I said, "She's a demigod isn't she?"

"Yes," Hades said, "A daughter of Athena, looks just like all of her other children."

Maybe I could take her with me then. If she was a demigod, then she could come with me. I could teach her how to fight and…

"No," Hades said.

"What?"

"You cannot take her with you," he said.

"Why?"

"The Olympians cannot know about you," Hades said, "Athena is already aware of your presence, but she does not suspect that I am your father. You cannot allow her to find out."

"But I can't let Sarena die," I yelled, "I have to do something!"

Hades was silent for a moment. "Very well," he said, "Tell her of her destiny, tell her who she really is, and then send her to New York."

"New York?"

"Long Island specifically," Hades said, "There is a place there where she will be safe. Once she leaves Morenci, Athena will guide her there, if that pompous goddess cares at all for the child."

This raised a bunch of questions. A place that was safe for demigods in New York. Why wasn't I there? Wouldn't I be safer there? Of course, even if I knew about it, I wouldn't have gone there. I still had to find Emily. But, couldn't she be there? No, Elice was following her scent, she would lead me there if that were the case. There were a lot of questions on my mind, but I didn't have any time to waste.

"You should hurry," Hades said, "The manticore approaches."

The dream faded and I woke up in the bed inside the trailer. Elice was standing over me, sniffing at my face like she was worried about me. I must have been tossing around a lot because the sheets and blankets had been thrown onto the floor. I was sweating. My clothes were soaked from it. Elice licked my face in one last effort to make sure I was awake.

She jumped off the bed as I sat up. She looked at me and whimpered like she did every morning. She wanted to leave. She was sensing something strong approaching fast. I could feel it too. There was a powerful monster on its way. Whatever the manticore was, I wasn't looking forward to fighting it.

I jumped out of bed and looked at Elice. "We'll leave soon girl," I said, "But we have to do something first."

Elice understood immediately. She knelt down and I climbed onto her back. She jumped out of the window in the living room and ran straight for Morenci. The sun had yet to rise, but I could tell that it was close to dawn. Within seconds, we were in the town. I guided her to the park where Sarena and I had been meeting for the last few weeks. I stopped her a few blocks away and dismounted.

Elice whimpered at me. "Don't worry," I said, "I'll only be a minute."

I ran for the park. I didn't think that Sarena would be there, but it was the only place that I could think of to look. As luck would have it, Sarena was there, sitting on the swing set that we always sat at. She was facing me this time, and looking right at me. Nothing showed that she was at all surprised to see me.

"Hirius," she said. She got up from the swing and ran across the street to me. She threw her arms around me, to my surprise, and hugged me. "I'm sorry," she said.

She pulled away and looked at me. She wouldn't meet my eyes. I couldn't blame her. Even I didn't want to look at that image again. Seeing that girl lying on the ground in a pool of her own blood, it was terrifying even if it wasn't me I was looking at. I couldn't imagine what it would be like if it were me I was looking at. Knowing that it was the person in front of me didn't help though.

"I'm sorry," Sarena said again, "I just, when I looked at you, I saw something horrible. It must have been my imagination."

"It wasn't," I said. Sarena looked at me with surprise. "Listen, it might sound crazy, but I saw it too, the lion thing, the girl, all of it."

"The girl," Sarena said before I could continue. She stopped. I knew what she was going to ask, but she was afraid to do so. "Was that…me?"

"Yes," I said with a bit of hesitation. Sarena looked unfazed by the answer. I could tell that she already knew what I would say. "But that doesn't mean that you're going to die, I won't let it happen."

Sarena looked up at me, her fear melting away. As confident as I sounded, I was nowhere near as hopeful as I seemed to be. That thing, the manticore, I had never seen anything like it. I wasn't sure I would be able to defeat something like that, not on my own anyway. Maybe with Elice's help, but it might not have to come to that. We could escape before it showed up.

"Sarena," I said, "I have to leave…and so do you."

"What do you mean," she asked.

"That thing," I said, "I don't know how to explain how I know, but it's on its way here. It's attracted to me, that's why I have to leave."

"What about me," Sarena asked, "Why do I have to leave?"

I hoped that I wouldn't have to explain it, but I knew that I would. There was no way that she would leave her hometown without an explanation. "Because you're like me," I said. Sarena stared at me. I could tell that she didn't understand what I meant. "You and I we're…special. Look, I can't explain everything right now, but…"

I was cut off by the sound of roaring in the distance. I heard Elice yelp and a loud crashing noise down the street. There wasn't any time left. The manticore must have attacked Elice out in the street. That meant that it was on its way to us.

I heard another roar close by as if the monster were confirming my suspicion. I summoned my sword and turned around. As I did, I saw the creature from the vision jump out from a group of trees some distance away from me. The monster sprinted towards me and stabbed down with its scorpion like tail. I managed to block the tail as it came within inches of my face. I held the monster's tail in place as it stared at me with its humanoid face.

Behind me, I heard Sarena let out a scream. "What is that thing," She yelled.

"Sarena," I yelled, "Run!" She didn't take any time to think about it. I heard her sprinting off into the distance within seconds.

With Sarena a safe distance away, I felt better about fighting this monster. I hadn't taken my eyes off of it yet. Its human face had a pair of feline eyes that glowed yellow. I looked into its eyes and wondered if my new power worked on monsters. After several minutes, I realized that it wouldn't.

"Hirius," the manticore said in a raspy voice.

"You can talk," I asked.

The manticore pulled its tail away from me and jumped backwards several feet. "Of course," the monster said, "Have you met any monsters that can't."

"No," I admitted, "But I've never met a lion that could talk."

"Indeed," the manticore said with a chuckle.

We stared each other down for several seconds in silence. The manticore kept its tail pointed at me as if preparing to shoot something at me. I held my sword ready to intercept any oncoming attack as I thought through every Greek myth I had ever read. I tried to recall anything I might have read about the manticore, but nothing came up. Guess I would be flying blind in this fight.

I thought about trying to control the manticore like I had with other monsters. I hesitated though. Hades said that Athena was aware of my existence. I couldn't let her know that I was a son of Hades or it might mean the end of my life. If there was the slightest chance that Athena was watching this fight then I couldn't give her any reason to suspect who my godly parent was.

"So," I said, "You know my name." I hoped to distract the manticore with a bit of small talk. If I was lucky, it might open up its defenses.

"I do," the monster said, "Everyone in Tartarus knows about you."

"Guess I have a bit of a reputation."

"Any child of the elder gods would," the manticore said, "Especially with that prophecy floating around and all."

The prophecy again. I hadn't thought about that in a while. Maybe this monster knew something about it then. "You know about that too," I asked.

"Of course," the manticore said, "My lord is weak now, but his power is growing. Perhaps you will be the one to release him."

"Your lord," I asked.

I had always assumed that Hades was trying to use me to destroy his brothers and that this prophecy was the reason that he thought that I would be useful. Now this monster comes along and starts talking about his and how I could release him or something like that. What did that have to do with destroying the Olympians? Who could I release that was that powerful?

"Oh I've said too much," the manticore answered, "I suppose for now that I should just kill you."

"Kill me," I said, "I thought I was going to release your lord."

"You might," the manticore said, "Or you might destroy him, I'm here to test if you're even powerful enough to be of use."

With that, the manticore pulled his tail back and shot it forward. He was too far away to hit me, but a thorn about the size of a crossbow bolt shot out of his tail and flew right at me. I just barely managed to duck in time for the thorn to skim the top of my hair. The thorn smashed into the jungle gym behind me and destroyed one of its legs, toppling the thing onto its side.

Before I had time to react, the manticore charged at me. I got to my feet and swung Heartstopper at the monster's face. His tail stabbed forward and caught my blade before it got near him. The manticore pulled away and stabbed at me again and again. I managed to block each hit, but I was being pushed back with ease.

As the manticore stabbed at me for what felt like the hundredth time, I rolled to the side and the monster stabbed his tail into the ground. I got to my feet and swung my blade at the monster. He tried to pull back, but Heartstopper connected and cut off the thorny end of the monsters tail. He let out a wild roar and swung his tail at me. I was sent into the air and crashed into a fence around one of the baseball diamonds.

Before I could think, the manticore pounced at me, his teeth ready to sink into my body. I rolled away from him a second time and he crashed into the fence behind me tearing its posts out of the ground and mangling it into a ball of metal wires. I got up and stabbed at the manticore. He moved away, but I barely managed to pierce his back thigh. The monster swatted at me with his front paws, but I was able to jump away from him in time to dodge the hit.

The manticore stood awkwardly, shifting most of his weight to his left side. He tried to act like he wasn't in pain, but I had managed to injure him severely. He began walking in a circle around me, a motion that I followed to keep him in front of me. The monster had a pained look on his face as he attempted to avoid putting weight on his wounded leg.

"You are better than I expected," the manticore growled.

"You expected less," I said feeling out of breath, "From a son of one of the elder gods?"

"I expected less from a child," the manticore asserted, "But you are not strong enough."

The manticore charged again. His leg made him slower, but he was still faster than me. He pounced. I dodged to the side, but the monster saw it coming. As agile as any cat, the manticore hit the ground and turned to swipe at me as I dodged. I felt a searing pain as his claws raked across my back. I felt warm blood flowing from the fresh wound. I let out a scream and fell to my knees. I swung my sword at the manticore, but he jumped over me and dodged the blade.

"Predictable," the monster said as he walked towards me, "You're soul will make a wonderful sacrifice for my lord."

The manticore stood over me and looked down. His eyes glowed yellow and a savage look was on his face. He was savoring the moment of his kill. Maybe I could…I tried to lift my sword while he was distracted, but Heartstopper felt twenty times heavier than normal. I looked down to see the monster's paw pressing down on my blade. He had made sure that I couldn't escape.

I heard the monster chuckle as I looked up at him. "It's a shame," he said, "You might have been useful, but I suppose getting rid of every variable is the best…" the manticore screamed and roared before he finished his sentence.

He looked over and I was able to see a bronze dagger sticking out of his side. I just barely caught sight of Sarena as she ran away from the monster. I wasn't sure where she managed to find a dagger, let alone a celestial bronze dagger, but I was glad that she did. The manticore stepped to the side as he watched Sarena run away. I felt the weight of his paw lifting from my sword.

"You little brat," he yelled, "When I'm through with…"

His sentence was cut off as I stabbed Heartstopper through his neck. The monster screamed and roared again. His body began turning to dust from where my sword had pierced into his neck. What was left was a pile of ash and a lingering sense of evil.

The dagger in his side clattered to the ground. I picked it up and looked over it. It was clearly something from Olympus. It was made of celestial bronze, the only metal that can hurt monsters, aside from stygian iron of course. As I looked over the weapon, Sarena stepped out from the darkness. The blade began to glow as she approached.

"Sarena," I said as she approached, "How did you…where did you…" I was at a loss for words. I knew that she was a demigod and all, but I didn't think she had a weapon. Besides that, I never imagined that she would be brave enough to come back and face that thing.

"I wanted to help," she said, "I didn't think I could do anything, but I couldn't let you face…that alone." She looked at me like she was waiting for me to say something. I was still speechless. "Then this owl came out of nowhere and dropped this dagger in front of me." She took the dagger from my hand, which had stopped glowing. "With it, I ran back here as fast as I could."

I saw the owl that she was talking about. It was sitting in a tree close by and looking directly at me. As I stared at it, I realized what it was. The owl was the symbol of Athena, which meant that she was watching me. I knew that she was trying to figure out who I was. She knew that I was a demigod, but she had no idea who my parent was. It was a good thing I had held back on using my powers against the manticore.

"Well I'm glad you came back," I said, "I would've died without you."

"You would've been okay," she said. I wasn't so sure.

The sun was beginning to rise as we stood there. Behind me, I heard Elice yelp. She ran up behind me and nudged at my shoulder. I knew what she was saying, "It's time to go." I didn't want to leave, not yet. I wanted to stay just a little longer, but I knew that I couldn't. Elice was right. It was time to get moving again.

Sarena took a step away as Elice approached me. "What is that," she asked.

"Don't worry," I said, "She won't hurt you. This is Elice, she's been taking care of me the past several months."

Sarena looked afraid, but she approached Elice slowly. She reached out and placed her hand on the hellhound's head. Elice began nuzzling Sarena's hand. Sarena smiled and began petting Elice like she was a big dog. Honestly, sometimes I thought that she really was just a really big puppy dog.

"Hello," Sarena said, "I'm glad you're here to take care of Hirius…Keep him safe, okay."

"I can look after myself you know," I said.

"I guess," Sarena laughed. The two of us were silent as Elice pulled away from Sarena's hand. "So," she said, "I guess this will be goodbye."

"Yeah," I said, "I'm sorry, but I have to find my sister."

"I understand," she said, "Besides, if you face creatures like that every day then I don't want to be anywhere near you…no offense."

"None taken," I laughed.

Sarena stood staring at me for a moment after that. "I have to leave," she said like it was a question.

"Yes," I said, "Like I said, I can't explain everything, but I know there's a place in New York, on Long Island. You'll be safe there."

"You're sure."

"No," I thought, "It's just a feeling but…" I trailed off. I had no idea if this place even existed let alone if it was safe or not. I could be leading Sarena into some kind of death trap. I didn't even know where this place was or what it was called. I looked around hoping that an answer would come to me. My eyes fell on the owl still sitting in the tree. "The owl," I said as an idea came to me.

"The owl," Sarena asked. She turned and looked at it.

"Yes," I said, "Your mother, she sent that owl to guide you to that place."

"Hirius," she said like she was questioning me. Honestly, even I was questioning me. Luckily, the owl flew down and sat on Sarena's shoulder. It wasn't very large, about the size of a pigeon, but it looked strong. The owl looked at Sarena like it was trying to tell her to listen to me.

The owl turned and looked at me. I knew that Athena had been watching me. She could've seen that whole battle. I had shown a bit of my power, but I was sure that she wouldn't have any proof that I was Hades' son. I would have to be careful of any owls that ran into in the future though.

"Like I said, I can't explain everything right now, but that owl will guide you somewhere safe. You have to trust me."

What I was saying sounded crazy, even to me. I was sure that Sarena was thinking that I was some kind of mental case. She stared at me. To my surprise, she was actually considering believing me. Of course, I knew that she wouldn't in the end. Who would believe something that sounded like it came out of a fantasy movie.

"Okay," Sarena said.

"What?"

"Okay," she said again, "I believe you."

I was glad to hear that. Now I only had to hope that I was right. I knew that my father would lie to me. He was the god of the Underworld after all. The owl seemed like too much of a coincidence. I had to place my faith in Athena's ability to look after her own daughter. If the other Olympians were anything like Hades though, then I was placing my faith in the wrong place.

Elice nudged me again. It was clearly time to leave. "Stay safe," I said to Sarena, "I'll be praying that you make it."

"And I'll be praying that you find your sister." Sarena offered me a smile, a gesture that I returned with one of my own. The owl on her shoulder flared its wings and took flight. Sarena watched it soar into the east. "I should go," she said. Before she did, she leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. And then she ran off chasing after the owl. I smiled as I watched her disappear into the distance.

Before i left, i saw the owl flying back around towards. It dropped what looked like a sandwich bag as it turned around and flew away again. I caught it and saw that it was filled with cubes of gold colored...something. I opened the bag and pulled out one of the cubes. I wasn't sure what i was looking at, but it appeared to be some kind of food. I lifted the piece to my mouth and bit a tiny bit off of it. It tasted like fresh fudge brownies. I loved fresh fudge brownies.

I continued to stare at the piece of food. I went to take another bite when I felt a strange sensation on my back. I could only describe it as feeling like a bunch of bugs were crawling around on my back. It lasted for only a few seconds, but once the feeling was gone the pain in my back had melted away. I had been ignoring the stinging for some time wondering how i would get around with five bleeding scratches on my back. I felt around on my back and was amazed to find that the wounds had sealed already. There were still holes in my shirt, but there was no evidence that i had ever been injured.

I looked at the piece of food again. I was clearly holding a bag of ambrosia, the food of the gods. Hades told me about it, how it had healing properties for demigods, but i had never seen any before. I also knew that it might kill me if i ate too much of it. I certainly didn't want that to happen, so I placed the piece of ambrosia back in the bag and resealed it. I put the bag into my backpack, which Elice had so graciously decided to bring with us, and threw it over my shoulders.

I felt Elice nudge me again. I turned around and climbed onto her back. "Come on girl," I said, "Let's go." With that, Elice ran off into the distance towards our next destination.


End file.
